Sonic-Pokemon Global Adventure: The Dark Crisis
by ZachaRicO
Summary: In a bid to harness a dark energy, Eggman's latest scheme has literally torn the world of Pokemon apart! After a shocking defeat, Sonic finds himself turning into a monster when night falls. He sets out to recover the Chaos Emeralds, while Ash reunites with some old friends on a quest of his own. But what is this dark energy? Sonic Unleashed #Pokemon20 Crossover.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1: Shattering History

This universe was created centuries ago, though the exact way it came to be is uncertain. Some say it came through a massive explosion. Others say it was created by divine will. Still others say that a great, cosmic war erupted and brought it into being. Whatever they believe, however, all agree that this universe was not simply created out of nothing. Rather, a man's reckless ambition to become a god swallowed the old universe and locked it into a perpetual time cycle. No one knows how long this cycle lasted, but the day it ended is where the records of contemporary history begin.

Even so, we still know little about the early days. Many of the writings of the past are difficult to decipher due to their rusting through the centuries. We have, however, managed to recover some of what was written, but alas, it all amounts to myths of the old days: alternate dimensions beyond our comprehension, gods locked in an endless war – yeah, not much on the actual history we've been looking for.

Though our knowledge of the past is far from miniscule, there are still many questions that remain unanswered. When this world first came to be, the animals inhabiting the world were no different from what they appeared as when the old world was destroyed. But as the centuries wore on, they gradually evolved into very different forms: powerful forms that had more capability than to simply eat, sleep, and bark. They could manipulate and control elements, do things no human being could do, and so much more. We don't know how this happened, or why. Yet we are not offset by these creatures. On the contrary, we generally embrace them as friends and companions.

These creatures are known as Pocket Monsters, or Pokemon, and they live all over the world.

Humans have various ways of bonding with these creatures. The most popular way is to send them into battle against other Pokemon in a competition to see who will be the last one standing. This might seem cruel, and there are some out there who treat their Pokemon partners with cruelty. But the vast majority of these Pokemon trainers, as they're called, show affection for their Pokemon. A battle ends when one Pokemon falls unconscious from the strain of battle, leaving the other the victor. The fainted Pokemon is promptly healed.

Such is the way of this world, and while certain other types of Pokemon competitions have emerged in years as of late, most prominently Pokemon Contests which show off a Pokemon's inner beauty, the Pokemon battle remains the most popular type. However, there are several people with evil intentions who use Pokemon to achieve sinister goals. Sometimes, the Pokemon they intend to use actually turn on them. The results of these incidents can be nearly catastrophic, but nothing thus far has brought the world to ruin.

But a few short years ago, something unprecedented happened.

A powerful structure located in the region of Kanto serves as a life-giving source of energy, without which the region would begin to wither. This structure, known as the Tree of Beginning, is largely left alone by humans, as any human who sets foot in there will quickly be swallowed up. A few short years ago, however, several humans entered the Tree in an effort to save their Pokemon, which had been unintentionally kidnapped. The Tree swallowed them up, but a mysterious Pokemon's power reversed this effect, saving the humans. But this came at a price: the Tree's power began to fail, jeopardizing both the mythical Pokemon and the whole region. It was only thanks to one Pokemon's heroic sacrifice that the Tree was restored. Since then, it has been left alone.

What no one knew, however, was that the Tree is more than a source of life for the Kanto region. It is a cosmic monument that serves as a wall to prevent travel between dimensions or galaxies. When its power failed, this wall collapsed. Before it was restored, however, a massive burst of power in another galaxy seized the inhabitants of a certain planet. This power took them away from that planet and brought them to this world, where Pokemon live and thrive. When the Tree's power was restored, the cosmic wall rose up once again, sealing them away from their former home.

At first, tension brewed between these mysterious creatures and the humans. Many of these creatures had a very strong resemblance to Pokemon, leading to much confusion and chaos. However, the truth about these creatures was ultimately revealed, and since then they have been granted protection from being treated as Pokemon. Since then, the world has been at peace.

But peace is never to last.

As the distant region of Kalos slept peacefully one night, the skies above shuddered as a massive space armada loomed over the atmosphere. At the helm of the flagship, a portly man in a red suit with black pants and a large mustache laughed maniacally: Dr. Ivo Robotnik, better known as simply Dr. Eggman. His fleet was nearing the optimal position he set for himself, and thus far nothing had –

 _WEEOOWEEOOWEEOOWEEOO_

Dr. Eggman abruptly stopped laughing when he saw an alarm go off. He looked up and saw that a small spaceship had crashed into the landing of his flagship, the Egg Carrier. Standing in front of the wreckage was an all-too familiar form. Even before it stood up, he recognized his arch-nemesis, as he'd tangled with him more times than he cared to count.

With his feet firmly planted, Sonic the Hedgehog stood up to face his nemesis.

A large horde of robots emerged from the ground, their firearms locked onto him, along with the turrets of the Carrier. Against any other foe, this would've been over-preparation. But Sonic wasn't "any other foe." Eggman gave the order, and every gun on the ship started firing. However, using his greatest strength, his ability to run at the speed of sound, Sonic dashed through the heat of battle, avoiding the shots and bouncing into Eggman's robots using his signature homing attack. He continued to run, narrowly avoiding one robot's grasp, and plowing through several more.

At this, Eggman decided to take matters into his own hands, jumping down in his own large mecha and rapidly firing at Sonic. Naturally, the blue hedgehog avoided these shots with ease.

Eggman growled at his insolence and fired several homing missiles at Sonic, but even though he didn't expect them, none of them hit. Sonic ran down a large corridor, but Eggman wasn't standing for it. One of the missile launchers on his mecha's "hands" suddenly turned into a large metal hand. He launched this into the corridor, straight for Sonic. Sonic saw this a moment too late, and the mecha snatched him and yanked him back into Eggman's clutches.

Sonic tried to wriggle out of the robot's iron grip, but it was useless. He was stuck fast. Yet just when it looked like he was giving up, he flashed a sly grin at Eggman and closed his eyes as though concentrating. Suddenly seven emeralds, each of a different color, appeared around him. Eggman's eyes widened (though you couldn't see this because he always wears glasses), and before he could stop him, Sonic broke out of his clutches, hovering and glowing a bright golden. He had absorbed the power of the Chaos Emeralds and was now invincible. Eggman could do nothing against him, and the super-powered hedgehog flew straight through his robot's core, destroying it.

"Uh-oh!" Eggman quickly ejected his one-man pod from the helm of the robot and rocketed down the corridor. "Time to go! Whoa!" he cried as he flew. He shut the blast doors in the corridor, but Sonic smashed right through them. Before they knew it, the chase was in outer space. Finally, Eggman shot into an odd-looking ship, his pod jerking around as it bumped the walls of the narrow passageway through which he entered. Then, abruptly, it ejected him, and he fell flat on the ground.

Sonic, who decided not to us the door, burst through the floor and hovered high above the terrified doctor.

"Sonic!" Eggman exclaimed. "Oh, no...look, I'm sorry! Please, don't destroy me. I didn't mean anything! Please, honestly! I was playing video games again, I swear!" He was on his knees, begging for mercy.

"Well, well, well," Sonic smirked cheekily. "I never thought I'd see the day where Eggman would beg for mercy from me. Well, you know, I'll consider what you said –"

As he snarked, Sonic failed to notice Eggman pull out a hidden red button. Naturally, something bad ensued when he pressed it; that's what always happens when someone presses a red button.

"Gotcha!" Eggman sneered. Suddenly, several teeth-like structures surrounded Sonic, creating a force field around him. Sonic tried to get out of the field, but, to his shock, it held him in. Before he knew it, he was constrained in the center of the circle the "teeth" made. On seeing this, Eggman burst into maniacal laughter. The Chaos Emeralds were forcibly extracted from Sonic, returning him to his natural state.

Outside, the ship began to open up, revealing a massive cannon aimed straight at the planet below. As Sonic suffered from brutal electrocution, Eggman watched his victory with glee.

"Hohohoho," he chuckled. "I've waited far too long for this. FIRE!" he cried, pressing the switch.

And that's just what the cannon did. A massive beam of energy rocketed down and struck the planet. From the place of impact, a huge crack formed, then broke open. A dark energy hissed out as a vague form emerged.

Part of this dark energy flew back through the cannon, which Sonic was powering. Before Sonic knew what was happening, he felt his muscles convulse as he clawed at the ground. His teeth grew razor sharp, and if he didn't know any better, he felt a little hotter. Additional fur? _What's happening to me?!_

At last, the spectacle ended, but in one sense, it had only begun. "Excellent," Eggman said. "The whole world is split apart. Oh, the confusion, OH, THE CHAOS! This is the best thing to happen to me since the Eclipse Cannon!"

Sonic, finally recovering from the torture Eggman inflicted on him, stood up on his legs, which felt strangely shorter. He glared at Eggman with an unusually fierce glare in his eyes. "You," he panted, "You've really done it this time...Eggman."

"Why, Sonic," Eggman sneered. "That's a nice new look you have. Very festive, especially for the occasion." Then he pulled a lever. "Sayonara... _Sonic the Werehog_! Gaaahahahahahahahaaaaaa!"

The glass window behind Sonic suddenly opened, sucking him and the Chaos Emeralds out. He grasped in vain for safety and, with a prolonged scream that no one can hear in space, fell to the earth as it slowly but violently split apart, isolating the many regions it held.

As Sonic fell, he had so many questions running through his head, including _What's happened to me? Why did Eggman break the planet into so many pieces? What is he up to?!_ But, like our questions about this world's history, these remained unanswered for the time being. Regardless, he was determined to find the answers and stop Eggman's latest plan for world domination.

All he had to do first was survive the fall.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2: Gravity

Gravity is a powerful force exerted by every kind of matter out there. It is not limited simply to planets. That's a common misconception, since the only gravity we ever feel is the pull of a planet, or a star, or anything like that. But the truth of the matter (no pun intended) is that every kind of matter exerts a force of gravity. The reason no one feels it is because most forms of matter we encounter in our day-to-day existence is absolutely nothing compared to the size of the planet. As such, any force of gravity not exerted by a planet is negligible.

It is because of the power of gravity that the planet wasn't utterly destroyed when Eggman fired his energy cannon. With enough power, however, he could easily destroy the planet, and he knew it, but the last time he threatened to do it, things didn't quite work out as planned. And besides, who would buy into a threat to destroy a planet you're trying to conquer?

A split planet, on the other hand, is a much more viable threat. And that's just what Eggman had on his hands now.

Not long after Sonic and Eggman had their little fiasco in the sky over Kalos, morning came for the Kanto region, where the Tree of Beginning is located. But perhaps I have misled some to believe that the Tree is what Kanto is known for. This is not the case. On the contrary, Kanto is better known for being the region where the phenomenon of Pokemon training began, and it remains to this day one of the most popular regions to traverse in many young people's quests to become Pokemon Masters. While everyone's journey starts somewhere, the most popular place to begin is from the humble Pallet Town, home of Samuel Oak, the world's most renowned Pokemon professor. Many a trainer has come to him to obtain their first Pokemon from three traditional choices: Bulbasaur, Charmander, or Squirtle. Thus has it been for the last 20 years, and thus shall it be for many years to come.

The sun slowly climbed high into the sky that morning, caressing the town of Pallet with its warm rays. As it approached its apex, a young man sat near the edge of a cliff overlooking the sea. Next to him sat his first Pokemon and best friend: a Pikachu. He smiled as he remembered his wild first day as a Pokemon trainer, and how it almost ended in disaster. Ever since then, he'd travelled around the world and back again, challenging Pokemon gyms and entering official Pokemon League conferences in the hopes of becoming a Pokemon Master.

His adventurous heart wasn't one to rest for an extended period of time, but, at his mother's request, he returned home for a brief hiatus from travelling for a special occasion: his eighteenth birthday. At that thought, he sighed, and his smile disappeared. He looked at Pikachu, a conflicted expression on his face.

"Ash?"

He snapped out of his thoughts on hearing the voice and turned his head to see who had spoken, though he already knew who it was. "Hey, May," he replied in his gravelly but warm voice.

The girl in question, a pretty brunette wearing a red bandana, walked up to him. "What are you doing out here?" she asked. "Your mom told me you were just going for a short walk. Have you been here all morning?"

"Uh, well," Ash started, patting the ground next to him. May eagerly took a seat. "I was going for a walk, but as I was walking, my mind started to wander. I decided that I wanted some time to myself to think for a while, so I came out here."

"Oh," May nodded in understanding. "I see. What is it that you're thinking about?"

"Eh, nothing really," he said, trying to shrug it off.

"I'm sure," May said, lightly glaring at him. "Come on, Ash. What's on your mind?"

Ash sighed and ran a hand through his wild and thick raven hair, removing his old hat from his head. "Okay, you got me," he said. "I was thinking about my journey, and...well…" He trailed off.

"What?"

He sighed. "May...I started my journey when I was ten years old. I was young, dumb, and inexperienced, but I dreamed of becoming the world's greatest Pokemon Master."

"We all have those kind of dreams when we're young," May agreed.

"Well, I'm not exactly young anymore," Ash said.

"You're a young adult."

"You know what I mean," he insisted. "I was a kid back then. I'm not really a kid anymore, and in a few short days, it'll be official."

"By some standards, I guess," May agreed.

"Right," Ash said. "The point is...I've been travelling the world for almost half my life. In that time, I've never managed to win in any major regional conference. The only two accomplishments on my name are the Orange League Champion and overcoming the Battle Frontier." He sighed. "That doesn't exactly have the 'Pokemon Master' ring to it."

"Why do you say that?"

"A Pokemon Master is supposed to beat an official conference. If I can't come out on top, then I've got nothing to show for all my travelling."

May looked at him with concern. "What are you trying to say, Ash?"

Ash opened his mouth to say something, but nothing came out. After a moment, he spoke again:

"I don't know. I'm just starting to wonder if this dream I had as a kid is out of my reach, no matter how hard I train. Maybe it's just what it is: a childish dream that should be left in the past. Maybe it's time for me to find something else to do with my life: maybe settle down, accept the title of a Frontier Brain...and maybe…"

He trailed off. "Go on," May urged him.

"Ah, nothing," he shrugged. He didn't want to say what he was going to say just yet. He didn't think he was quite ready. Almost, but not quite.

"You know, Ash," May said with a smile, "I've been thinking about the same thing."

"Really?"

"Mmhmm," she giggled. "When I started my journey with you, I decided that I wanted to become a Top Pokemon Coordinator. Of course, the only way to become a Top Coordinator is to come out on top at a Grand Festival. I've been pursuing that ever since I started, and while I've gotten close many times, I've never come out on top. Do I give up and look for something else? Or do I press on?"

Ash stayed quiet for a moment, then smiled and sighed as he stood up, watching over the ocean. "You and me both," he said. "Well, I guess we'll find the answer soon enough."

May stood up with him. "I'm sure we will," she agreed, interlacing her hand with his, "together. After all, we've always been so alike in that way. It's almost kinda scary!"

"Except it's not," he grinned at her. "We're just two Pidgeys in the same flock."

"I completely agree," she returned his smile. Then she pecked him on the cheek and embraced him warmly, while he returned the favor.

It was certainly true. These two young adults had much in common: from their headgear to the gloves they wear, you'd think they were separated at birth. And truth be told, their first encounter wasn't exactly friendly, though it wasn't hostile either. May initially looked at Ash with disdain, but his kind heart and decision to be her mentor brought them together in a close friendship that no one could break. As time went on, this friendship developed into something deeper, as the two of them fell in love with each other. After a few years, they finally declared their love for each other. Ever since then (somewhat hilariously, I might add, in light of an earlier incident in their friendship), they've been a couple, and they've been as happy as any couple could be; perhaps even happier!

I suppose the physical force of gravity isn't the only kind of gravity. And while a human being cannot exert a strong enough physical force to draw something to himself, an emotional force is much different. But gravity is just as much a deadly force as it is a stable one, for pulling something in from a great distance can have fatal consequences.

* * *

While it was morning in Kanto, night still blanketed the Kalos region. All was still and quiet...except for the screaming of a falling form with monstrous features. Then, abruptly, everything was quiet again. Then, the monstrous form hit the ground face-first. Its short legs stuck up in the air a moment, then plopped down with him. For a moment, he lay still. Then, coming to his senses, he began pushing at the ground to pull his head out. He pushed harder and harder, stretching his body to cartoonish proportions, until his head popped out with such force that he staggered a little before getting a grip on himself. He looked around, surprised at how well he could see everything in the dark: from the quiet houses to the strange creature lying in the ground to the –

"Huh?!" he said, his eyes instantly locking onto the small creature again. He held his mutated hand to the unconscious creature, poking it to wake it up. The creature's eyes fluttered open abruptly. "Are you okay?" the monster asked him.

On seeing his companion, the creature screamed in fright and flew away, hiding. "Help!" he whimpered. "A big, mean, monster wants to eat me!"

"Huh?" the monster raised an eyebrow (or whatever he had), puzzled. "What are you talking about? I'm not a monster. I'm –"

He cut himself off when he saw his reflection in a small pond. His eyes widened with horror (assuming that's possible). His blue fur was gone, replaced by a dark gray fur coat twice as thick as what he was used to. His arms were much larger, and his hands were now claws. His legs, once wielding the power to run at the speed of sound, were now stubby and short.

"What's happened to me?" he wondered, his face drooping. He shivered in spite of his fur. Or was it because of it?

"Um...Mister Monster Guy?" a trembling voice asked.

He turned to see the small creature standing next to him, trembling terribly. "Please don't eat me, but...can you tell me where I am?"

The monster scratched his head a moment, then recoiled from the pain. "You know, to be honest, I don't really know myself. The last thing I remember was being thrown out of Eggman's ship. Then I was falling...then this ring suddenly appeared out of nowhere, then everything was dark, and then I hit the ground."

"A ring?" the creature lit up.

"Yeah...it was kinda weird. Heck it looked like that one that –"

"That must've been my ring!" the creature exclaimed.

The monster looked at him, puzzled. "Your ring?"

"Yeah! It's like, one moment I'm asleep, and the next moment, the ground was shaking, and I almost fell into a crack. I tried to call for help with one of my rings, but I guess I wasn't specific enough on what I needed. Jeez! Ask for a legendary Pokemon and get some big, bad monster guy instead!" He folded his stubby arms, indignant. Neither of them noticed the sun slowly rising.

"Hey look, Precious, I'm not a big bad monster guy...or at least I'm not supposed to be. I'm – UNGH!" He started convulsing as dark energy sizzled all around him. His companion looked at him, frightened. When the spectacle ended, the sight he saw stunned him.

"What?!" he exclaimed. "A-Are you –?"

"Ugh," the monster muttered. "Anyways, as I was saying. I'm not a monster, I'm –"

" _Sonic the Hedgehog_?!"

Sonic was caught off-guard. "How do you know my name?"

"Everyone knows who you are! You're a celebrity, remember?"

"Oh, yeah...I guess. But I thought you were scared of me."

"Not anymore! Look at the water!"

Sonic did so and, to his astonishment, found his normal reflection looking back at him. "Whoa," he said. "How did that happen?"

"I don't know," his companion said. "But it's nice to know I'm not gonna be eaten by some big bad monster guy now!"

"Sorry for scaring ya," Sonic apologized. "Hm...oh! Eggman! I gotta find him and stop whatever plan he's got up his sleeve!"

"Uh-oh," his companion smirked. "Looks like the Egghead's up to his old tricks, huh?"

"Actually, I think it's a new one," Sonic said. "I just need to find him first."

"Let me help!" the creature exclaimed.

Sonic blinked. "You sure?"

"Yeah!"

He shrugged. "Okay. Say, what are you, anyway? Some rare Pokemon?"

"As rare as they come!" the Pokemon grinned mischievously as they started walking along. "You'll only ever find me at special events...kinda like this!"

"Well that answers one question. So what do they call you?"

The Pokemon giggled. "Hoopa!"

"Hoopa, huh?" Sonic smirked. "Sounds like something you say before you take a swig."

"HEY!"


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3: Sun and Moon

The mysteries of this universe reach into the deepest space. We have tried for centuries to solve them all and have always come up terrifically short. But the dark energy Eggman unleashed is something we think may be beyond even the deepest space. We may never understand its purpose. Then again, perhaps there are some things men are not meant to know. We strive for information that doesn't belong to us. Maybe, in due time, we will be granted the secrets we desire.

But I have delayed this story's continuation long enough.

Sonic and his new friend found themselves in a large metropolis. The sun shone high in the sky as they strode into town. Sonic looked around, curious.

"Where are we?" he wondered.

"I don't know," Hoopa shrugged. "We should ask someone. I'll hide in your shadow."

"Why's that?"

"Because there might be mean people who want to kidnap me," he replied. With that, he flew into the ground and hid himself in Sonic's shadow.

"Fair enough," Sonic said, smiling. With that, he began inquiring about.

* * *

"No! I said I needed the six, not the eight!"

"That is the six! See? It's got the number 6 on it!"

"That's the label! It has eight sides on it! I need – UH-OH!"

"NOT AGAAAAAAA–"

* * *

The ground suddenly shook a little, startling the people. Sonic also started at this.

"What was that?" he wondered.

"Must've been a small earthquake," Hoopa said from his shadow.

"Earthquake, hm?" Sonic scratched his head.

"No," a bystander said. "That was probably the Prism Tower."

Sonic turned to him with a raised eyebrow. "Prism Tower?"

"Yup. It's this city's gym. Clemont, the gym leader, is quite the nut about inventing."

"Huh," Sonic muttered as the bystander walked away. "I wonder what he's up to." With that, he headed towards the tall building in the center of town.

* * *

Clemont, as it turned out, had a face covered in soot at the moment. His eyes were wide, and he blinked twice.

"So, uh," his companion said as she grew red in the face, "how many explosions is that, now?"

Clemont shook his face and cleaned it off. "By my count? That's the sixth."

"Great. One more and then comes the moon!"

"Bonnie," Clemont groaned, "this is an important invention. If I can get this right, it'll be able to harness energy from deep underground: energy that's never been uncovered before! It'll save lots of money and help so many people."

"Since when did we care about money?" Bonnie folded her arms.

"You know what I mean," he replied. "Lumiose City is widely known as the center of Kalos. If I can save energy here, the effects will ripple like a drop in a pool. All of Kalos will benefit!"

Bonnie giggled. "You're gonna be spending months getting this right. But then, what should I expect from my big brother?"

"Am I hopeless?" he asked dejectedly.

"Yup! Now let's try again!" she said cheerfully.

He shrugged. _Having a little sister can be a pain, but at the end of the day, what are you gonna do_?

* * *

Sonic looked around the first floor of the tower and found three elevators in front of him. "What's with the elevators?" he said.

"Dunno," Hoopa said, coming out of his shadow. "We should try each of them one by one. Sound like a good idea?"

"Well, I guess that's all we can do," he shrugged. With that, they entered the first elevator.

But as it turned out, the elevators were a maze, with each one going to a specific floor. Naturally, Sonic got hopelessly lost and spent the rest of that afternoon trying to figure it out. Throughout that time, Clemont and Bonnie continued to work on his latest invention, with numerous explosions plaguing their work.

Finally, as the sun began to set in the west, Clemont pulled it together. "Okay," he said. "Let's try this one more time." Bonnie pulled a lever. The machine hummed and sputtered.

But there was no explosion.

"It's working!" Bonnie exclaimed, reading a meter showing the energy levels and sources.

"It is?!" Clemont gasped, looking at the same meter. "It is! We did it!" He picked up his little sister, hugging her while they laughed. "I couldn't have done it without you," he smiled as he put her down.

"Hey, that's what little sisters are for!" she winked. He chuckled.

"Bravo, you two. I must commend your ambitious undertaking."

The two of them froze at the voice that came from all the speakers surrounding them. "Who's there?!" Clemont said.

"You built this to harness energy for people to use? How quaint. You owe them nothing, you fool!"

"Hey! What's going on here?!" Bonnie called, frowning. _I don't like this!_

"Your hard work has served me well," the voice sneered. Suddenly, the ceiling above opened, the dome-like doors above splitting down the middle.

"What?!" Clemont exclaimed. "I didn't authorize that!"

"Someone's hacking the system!" Bonnie realized.

A singular figure descended from the orange sky above, chuckling malevolently as he did so. "Your new machine will be a great asset to my plans. There's no need to thank me for stealing it. It's just what I do."

The siblings' eyes widened. "It's Dr. Eggman!" they exclaimed.

"Hahaha!" Eggman laughed. "Don't worry about your precious machine, Clemont. I'll take good care of it. I'd return it to you in one piece when I'm finished with it, but I won't be able to do that." A robotic arm began dismantling the machine from its perch.

"No! Stop!" Clemont cried. He threw out a Pokeball. "Luxray! Stop him! Use Wild Charge, now!"

The Pokeball unleashed its energy, which materialized into the gleam eyes Pokemon. " _Lux! LuuuuuuxRAYYYYY!_ " it cried, charging at Eggman's pod. It struck its target, knocking Eggman back.

"Ngh!" Eggman grunted. "You little brat! You'll pay for that!" With that, he fired a laser from his pod that struck Luxray and instantly knocked him out.

"Luxray!" Clemont exclaimed.

"You big bully!" Bonnie shouted. "You give back our machine right now!"

"Shut your mouth, shrimpy!" Eggman snapped back. "I've got big ambitions, bigger than your brother's, and unlike him, I'm going to succeed where he fails!"

* * *

The sun may have been setting in Kalos, but in Kanto it had just reached its peak. As it blazed in the sky, a sweat-laden trainer dragged himself to his quaint home.

"Boy, that was some training session, huh, Pikachu?" Ash said to his best friend.

" _Pikapika_ ," Pikachu agreed.

He walked into his house. "Okay, how about some lunch?" He headed straight for the refrigerator, only to find half the food gone. "What?! Who – MAY!"

"Hm?" came a voice from the adjacent room. May poked her head out, her face stuffed with food. "Whphmphmphm?"

"Did you eat all that food?!"

"Nmm, mphmphmphmph –"

"I can't understand a word you're saying."

May chewed her food and then swallowed. "Sorry," she blushed sheepishly. "No, I didn't take all that food, just the essentials."

"Essentials?" Ash raised an eyebrow, puzzled by her interesting choice of words. "Whataya mean by that?" He started walking into the room to see what she was eating.

"It's nothing, Ash!" she frantically tried to push him away. "I was just a little hungry, no need to peek in, I was just –"

Her frantic pleading got cut off when Ash's jaw fell to the floor. The entire dining table, which had enough room for six people, was covered with dishes of all shapes and sizes. Remains of various meats, bread loaves, and even some candy wrappers were strewn all over the place.

"– a little...hungry…" May finished, defeated.

Ash looked at her, eyes still wide, though his jaw was off the floor now. "Oh," was all he said. " _These_ are the essentials, are they?"

"Um," May stammered, trying to find something to say.

"I overpacked!" he said, starting to laugh. "I brought a sleeping bag, a picnic blanket, and Pokemon food while I traveled, but all I needed was this! THESE are the essentials!" He was laughing pretty hard now, with May and Pikachu joining in as well.

After that little fiasco, they made a relatively simple lunch with some of the leftover bagels. Ash went into the living room with his bagel.

"You're eating out there?" May asked.

"Yeah," he said, getting comfortable as he took a bite. "Wanna join me?"

"Is that a question?" she winked. She followed her boyfriend into the room and sat next to him while he turned on the TV. "Any good shows on?"

"Probably not," he shrugged. "All the good shows stopped airing some time after I started traveling."

"Do you like _Wheel of Fortune_?"

"Sure."

May took the remote and turned it to that channel. To their dismay, the guessing contestant was stumped on a fairly obvious puzzle.

"What's so hard about that?" Ash wondered as he took a bite from his bagel. "Isn't it 'Celebrity-something-Mara Bean?'"

"Celebrity Chef," May said. "But yes, that's right."

They continued to watch, only to facefault when they saw the contestant make a ridiculously stupid guess.

"How did he not know the first word was 'celebrity?!'" Ash cried.

"Maybe we should change the channel," May said with a mouthful of bagel in her mouth, clicking the remote. They shuffled through a few more shows before coming to the Noon News. "What a dumb name for a news show," May muttered.

"I told you there weren't any good shows on anymore," Ash replied after swallowing some bagel.

They watched a story about a typical celebrity scandal, a car chase in Johto, and an update on the weather.

" _We now turn our attention to Lumiose City in Kalos, where a frightening turn of events is taking place_."

"Lumiose City?" Ash said, his eyes growing wide. "Oh no."

" _The entire city is caught in a blackout_ ," the reporter went on. " _Only Prism Tower remains lively. However, it's recently been confirmed that this is not because of a backup energy source_."

"What's going on?" May wondered, swallowing.

Then the reporter got straight to the point. " _The authorities have confirmed that none other than Dr. Ivo Robotnik, or, as many people know him, Dr. Eggman, has seized control of Prism Tower and is using it to draw energy out of the city._ "

"Eggman!?" Ash and May exclaimed at the same time.

" _Pi Pika_!" Pikachu exclaimed likewise.

Ash clenched his fists in anger. "Back at it again, is he?"

"Come on!"

He looked up in surprise to see that his girlfriend was scampering about, gathering her stuff. "May?"

"What are you waiting for?!" she snapped. "Hurry up and get some Pokemon! We gotta help them!"

Ash and Pikachu looked at each other, then smiled. "Right! Let's go!" Pikachu jumped on his shoulder. "To answer your question from the other day, _that's_ why I love her so much."

" _Pikachu_ ," Pikachu smirked.

* * *

"Ugh!" Clemont groaned. "Bonnie! See if you can reach the knot!"

"I'm trying!" she replied, trying in vain to grasp the knot that tied the two siblings up back to back.

"Try all you want, shrimp," Eggman sneered. "Even if you succeed, you'll be too late to get your precious machine back!"

"No!" Clemont cried as Eggman started to take it away. "Stop! Please!"

Eggman rolled his eyes. "Why do they always say 'please?'" he grumbled to himself. "Do they think pleading for mercy's going to change my mind?"

It was at that moment that the light above the door to that floor's elevator suddenly flashed with a _ding_ sound. Everyone turned their heads that way. The elevator doors opened.

"Whew!" the inhabitant muttered, wiping sweat from his brow (or whatever he had). "Finally! I thought we'd never – WHAT?!"

Clemont's eyes widened with a smile.

"It's Sonic!" Bonnie cried.

"You've got to be kidding me!" Eggman bellowed in rage. "I had a hunch that fall from space wouldn't finish you off, but then you have to show up right as I'm about to seize control of a powerful weapon! How'd you even know I was here?!"

"I didn't," Sonic snapped. "I was trying to get up here so I could talk to Clemont. Looks like I came in the knick of time."

"Not this time," his nemesis grinned evilly. "I've already disconnected the weapon from Prism Tower. You're not going to catch me before I get away with it! Hahahahaha!" With that, he started to fly away.

"Ugh!" Sonic cried. "Hang on, you guys. Let me untie you real quick."

"No!" Hoopa suddenly popped out of his shadow. "Let me! You go stop Eggman!"

"Hoopa!?" Bonnie and Clemont exclaimed.

"Thanks, Hoops," Sonic gave him a thumbs-up and ran after Eggman. "Hey, Egghead! How 'bout we play a little game of 'Sonic Jump?'" he taunted.

"What, do you think that putting your name in front of something automatically makes it cooler?!" Eggman shot back, his scowl illuminated by the sun, which by now was almost gone. The moon was starting to rise. "Don't even think about it! I have the high ground!"

"Never stopped me before!" Sonic cheered. With that, he jumped onto Clemont's machine and started pulling himself up. Eggman, however, was prepared for this and discharged energy from his pod through the machine, shocking Sonic. He lost his grip for a moment, but he managed to grab the edge of the machine before he fell back down. He started climbing again, only to meet the same result. He tried a third time. This time, Eggman upped the outage, shocking Sonic so much, he didn't recover in time to grab the machine again. With that, he fell helplessly to the top of the tower, illuminated only by the last light of the sun as it descended below the horizon.

"Hahaha!" Eggman laughed. "Better luck next time, you pesky hedgehog!"

"Ugh," Sonic grumbled. "He's been practicing. No time to be cocky. I gotta get serious. UNGH!" He suddenly clenched his stomach and began convulsing violently.

"Sonic!" the now freed Bonnie and Clemont exclaimed, rushing up to him. "What's wrong?"

"No!" Sonic cried as dark energy violently crackled around him. "Not again! G-Get away from me! You'll get hurt!"

* * *

All of Lumiose City was dark and quiet as the moon shone in the sky. The only other light was that of a Charizard's tail as it zoomed over the city. But no one noticed that this Charizard had two riders on it, one holding the other for safety.

"Ash, look!" May pointed to the top of Prism Tower.

"Huh?" Ash exclaimed. "Aha! There they are! Charizard, you know what to do!"

Charizard grunted in agreement and rocketed towards the tower.

* * *

"You won't get away with this, Eggman!" Clemont shouted from below in a desperate attempt to intimidate the doctor. Naturally, it didn't work.

"Idiot," Eggman retorted, but he was so high up now that Clemont couldn't hear him. "I already have, and now nothing is going to stop me." He chuckled malevolently as he adjusted his mustache.

"Not so fast, Eggman!"

The sudden voice caught him so off-guard that he pulled a hair from his mustache. "Yowch! What the –?!"

Eggman and his pod immediately found themselves on the receiving end of a Charizard's Flare Blitz. He was so disoriented that he lost control of his pod. Clemont's machine broke free and started falling towards the tower.

"Clemont, look!" Bonnie exclaimed.

"It's cut free!" Clemont cried.

"Oh no you don't!" Eggman snapped, recovering himself and suspending the machine with a tractor beam.

The Charizard descended and landed next to the siblings while its riders hopped off. "Word on the street was you needed a hand," Ash grinned.

"Ash!" Clemont and Bonnie cried in joy.

"Uh, guys," Hoopa said. "I hate to interrupt this reunion party, but we got trouble!"

Everyone looked up to see Eggman drawing the machine back towards himself with the tractor beam.

"Oh no you don't!" Ash shouted, mounting Charizard while leaving May and Pikachu below. They took off after Eggman and rammed into his ship with another Flare Blitz.

"Ngh!" Eggman grunted, holding fast this time. "You stupid brat! Why do you and Sonic always have to foil my plans?!"

"Everyone's gotta have a hobby," Ash winked at him. "Charizard! OVERHEAT!"

Charizard quickly unleashed a massive torrent of flames, swallowing Eggman in them. When they dissipated, Eggman was flying into the sky.

"Curse you, Ketchum!" he shouted as he blasted off. "You're going to pay for this!" Then, with a twinkle, he disappeared.

The machine, freed from the tractor beam, plummeted towards the tower below. Clemont and Bonnie's eyes widened when they realized it was heading for them.

"Uh-oh!" Clemont said.

"Get out of the way!" Bonnie snapped at him, pushing him away.

"What?! BONNIE!"

Time seemed to slow down as Bonnie looked back up to see the machine fall towards her. Her eyes widened, then she shut them tightly, holding her arms up to brace herself. But before she felt anything, something shoved her out of the way, tumbling across the floor. Then, with a horrible slam, the machine hit the ground.

Ash descended and, after recalling his Charizard, ran over to Bonnie. "Are you all right?" he asked.

"Ungh," she grunted. "My arm hurts."

"I'm sorry," Ash said.

"Um, Ash?" Clemont said with a trembling voice. Ash turned in his direction. He was looking at the machine...and who it was laying on.

"Oh no," Ash said, his voice barely above a whisper. "MAY!" He began pushing and pulling at the machine, frantically trying to get it off of his girlfriend.

"Hang on!" Bonnie cried, rushing over to help. Clemont and Hoopa quickly joined as well, but their combined strength couldn't move it.

"No!" Ash grunted. "No, please...not like this." He fell to his knees, tears starting to form in his eyes. "Please, May..."

Suddenly, the machine started moving. Someone was moving it! Surprised, Ash and the others backed away and watched in awe as a frightening creature lifted it up.

"GRAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!" Sonic the Werehog roared, throwing the machine to the side. It rolled and clattered, then came to a stop. A tinkling sound could be heard, indicating the machine was broken. Clemont's expression fell a moment before he turned back to the situation at hand.

Ash's eyes were wide. "What the…"

Sonic's breathed heavily and angrily, but his expression softened when he saw his friend.

"Baseball Head..."

"Sonic…"


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4: The Quiet Shadow

There are two kinds of evil in this world. One of them is the petty kind, where someone tries desperately to be the villain to someone else's hero only to laughably fail every time. The other kind is much more sinister and ambitious, determined to accomplish its goals no matter what atrocities must be committed. Our heroes have had their fair share of encounters with both kinds of evil in their adventures, though their encounters with the former have largely overshadowed their encounters with the latter.

The reason for this could be summed up in two words: Jessie, James, and Meowth.

The infamous, bumbling Team Rocket trio was in Sinnoh taking a vacation during the fiasco at Prism Tower. The beaches of Sunyshore City were a marvelous point of interest in Sinnoh, attracting tourists and vacationeers alike. Presently, the trio laid themselves out on the beaches, tanning in the sun.

"Now this is the life," the fiery-haired Jessie said with a smug look on her face. "Soaking in the sun and tanning like it's nobody's business."

"I don't see why we don't do this more often," the lavender-haired James agreed. "It certainly beats tracking down the twerps everywhere they go."

"Maybe it makes sense to the two of you," the talking Meowth said, "but I don't have skin to tan. Just fur all over. Besides, shouldn't we be out looking for rare Pokemon right now? I hear it's open season at the Safari Zone."

"All in good time, Meowth," Jessie replied. "Right now, let's just relax and enjoy the sun." No sooner had she said this, however, than the sun suddenly vanished from their sight, a shadow eclipsing it. "Huh?" She removed her shades.

"What's that?" James wondered as the shadow grew ever larger.

Meowth leapt up in a panic. "It's a meteor! And it's coming our way!"

"GAHHHHHHHH!" they all leapt up and started running around. Then, with a deafening crash, a large, one-man ship crashed into them.

* * *

Ash and Sonic stared at each other for several seconds of utter silence. Then, coming to his senses, Ash turned his attention towards his girlfriend, whose body lay on the ground.

"May!" he cried, rolling her over and cradling her in his arms. Her eyes were shut tight, obviously in reaction to the impact. "May?" he whispered. "Please say something. Anything!"

There was no response. Believing the worst, Ash held her close and started to cry quietly. Clemont, on seeing this, somberly walked over and picked up her ankle. He felt it over, then hung his head, depressed. "Oh no," he whispered. "I can't feel a heartbeat."

"You don't mean –?" Sonic started.

"No, wait!" Bonnie exclaimed. "Look! She's breathing!"

"Huh?" Ash started, pulling her away from him a moment. Sure enough, her chest was steadily moving up and down. "You-You're right! She's alive!" He turned to Clemont. "Quickly! Call the Pokemon Center! We need to get her help right away!"

"You got it!" Clemont nodded, already on his way before Ash finished speaking.

"Stupid Clemont," Hoopa grumbled. "Since when did the human ankle have a heartbeat?"

"Maybe we should've let that machine fall on his head after all," Sonic muttered. "He seems a little wacko."

* * *

"Urrrrrrrrrggggghhhhh," four loused-up villains groaned as they laid in the wreckage of a one-man pod.

"That stupid Ketchum brat," Eggman grumbled as he got up. "I swear, the next time we meet, he's gonna regret pulling off that Overheat!"

"Nyeeeeh–hah? ACK! Guys, get up!" Meowth suddenly cried.

"Huh? AHHHHH!" Jessie and James also jumped up.

"It's the Eggman!" James exclaimed.

"Well that's not going to stop us," Jessie retorted.

"What are you trying to do now?" Eggman growled.

"Prepare for trouble, you will give me an egg."

"Make it double, I think you broke my leg."

"To protect the world from devastation."

"To unite all peoples within our nation."

"To denounce the evils of truth and love."

"To extend our reach to the stars above."

"Jessie!"

"James!"

"Team Rocket blast off at the speed of light!"

"Surrender now or prepare to fight, fight, fight!"

"Meowth, that's right!"

" _Wooooooobbuffet!_ "

"Why you rotten theatrical badniks!" Eggman grumbled. "Of all the places to land after getting blasted away by that Ketchum kid, I had to land on top of you?! GR! I don't have time for your antics! I have to fix the Egg Mobile so I can get that stupid Clemont's machine back!"

"The Egg Mobile?" James raised an eyebrow.

"Do ya think putting 'Egg' in front of everything makes it better or something?" Meowth asked.

"Quiet!" Eggman snapped back as he continued to tinker with the Egg Mobile. "Once I have the Egg Mobile up and running again, I'll –"

"All talk and no play, as usual," Jessie said with a dismissive wave of her hand. "At least we can get stuff done with our Rocket mechs."

"Even if it's only for five minutes," James agreed.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Meowth asked.

"Listen up, you chumps!" Eggman shouted, commanding their attention. "Like I said before, I don't have time to listen to your worthless chatter. I've got big plans that are coming to fruition even as we speak, and I –"

"That's what you say every time," Jessie sneered at him.

"What are you trying to get at?" Eggman growled.

"If your plans were so well-designed, why do they always get foiled by that pesky blue twerp of a hedgehog?" James said with a smirk.

"Hedgehog? Heeheehee...I'd say he's more like a Werehog now."

"Huh?" the Team Rocket trio looked at him with curiosity.

"I used a special cannon of my own making to harness the power of the Chaos Emeralds," Eggman explained. "When I fired the energy at the planet, I split it apart and separated the various regions of the world from each other. I was electrocuting Sonic while that happened, and the energy that tortured him ended up changing his form, at least temporarily. I'm still not sure how that all works."

"You split the planet apart?" James repeated.

"That's right, I did," Eggman sneered.

"Well that explains the earthquake from the other day," Jessie muttered.

"Sounds like the Eclipse Cannon 2 to me!" Meowth grinned as he remembered the iconic weapon from the Space Colony ARK.

" _Woooooobbuffet!_ "

"Now if you'll excuse me, I have work to do," was Eggman's reply as he continued to repair his one-man aircraft.

Both Eggman and Team Rocket were petty villains, trying to be evil while their nemeses were good. Eggman had much more success at this than Team Rocket, though they still always came up short to other villains who often stole their spotlight. As if that wasn't bad enough, they always found themselves teaming up with their sworn enemies to stop these bigger threats. Sometimes this was to their chagrin. Other times, not so much. Either way, however, the evil forces they joined the heroes in stopping were always of the second variety, whether it was an enraged leviathan made of water and Chaos energy, an evil overlord hell-bent on genocide, or Ho-Oh himself. The odds didn't matter, because they always won.

But despite all their past experience, nothing could prepare them for the evil that they were about to face.

* * *

 _Who are these four humans? They seem to be very hostile to one another. And yet they have much in common. Perhaps if I draw them together..._


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5: Smiles and Tears

The Kalos Pokemon Center was quiet that night as several worried friends sat in the waiting room. One of them was standing up, pacing restlessly. His best friend sat on his shoulder, trying to help him, but with no luck. His footsteps were quiet and quick. The only sound to be heard was the ticking of the clock overhead, but no one paid that any heed. They hadn't adjusted it for Daylight Savings anyways.

Minutes felt like days for everyone before Nurse Joy finally emerged, a small smile on her face. Everyone immediately turned to face her with expectant eyes.

"She's going to be all right," she reported. At this, everyone sighed with relief. "However," the nurse went on, "the impact of the machine damaged her ribcage. Miraculously, little harm was done."

"How can that be?" Clemont asked. "That machine was heavier than the food intake Ash eats on a Saturday morning."

"Hey!" Ash shouted in protest.

"I don't know how it happened," Nurse Joy said. "The machine must have hit her just right to avoid causing worse damage. Unfortunately, we'll have to keep her here for a week so she can recover."

"A week?" Ash said, his face falling.

"I don't have time for that," Sonic, still a werehog, folded his large arms impatiently.

"You are welcome to visit her, but please refrain from physical affection," Nurse Joy instructed them. "She's very fragile right now, plus she needs to rest."

"Thank you," Ash nodded, walking past her. He stepped into the room May was in. No sooner had he entered than he felt a lump in his throat.

May laid on a bed, but she hardly looked like herself anymore. Her torso was completely wrapped in bandages, and she herself was propped up against the wall. Her hair, no longer under her signature bandana, was in shambles, but that was expected; no doubt she was resting. The one thing about her that changed most, and the one thing only Ash would notice, was her eyes. The usually bright blue orbs were half-closed due to the pain and fatigue she endured right now. Their glow was faded, leaving something hollow in the wake.

"May," Ash said, his voice trembling, much to his surprise, as he sat on the edge of her bed.

"Ash," she smiled weakly at him, her raspy voice barely above a whisper. "What happened? The last thing I remember –"

"Clemont's machine was going to fall on top of Bonnie," Ash explained, trying hard to steady his voice. "You pushed her out of the way, and it fell on you."

May blinked slowly, then nodded, though it was hard to see. "Yeah, that's right. Is everyone okay? Did anyone get hurt?"

"Don't worry about that, May," Ash said. "You've only got yourself to worry about right now."

"What?" May exclaimed, apparently surprised. "How can you say that? Everyone was in danger, and you expect me to only worry about myself?! I may be hurt, but that doesn't mean I don't care about anyone else anymore."

Ash was taken aback at her selfless statement. This touched him, and his emotions, which he was trying to keep in check, began to overwhelm him. When he realized this, he turned away, his eyes shaded by the white brim of his hat. He clenched his teeth, trembling. He sniffled.

But in the end, he broke down.

Tears slowly dropped down his face as his quiet sobs took over. He put his face in his hand and rubbed his eyes, trying to stop them.

"Ash?" May said, her eyes filled with concern despite their dimness.

"I-I'm fine," Ash replied through stifled sobs.

"No, you're not," his girlfriend shook her head. "You're hurting." She held her arms out and smiled. "Come here. I'll make you feel better."

Ash looked back at her a moment, then shook his head, turning away again. "No," he said. "I'll be...fine."

"I'm not taking that for an answer," May replied with surprising determination. "You don't have to go through this alone. If I can't be there for you when you're crying, what am I here for?"

"It's nothing," Ash tried again to dissuade her. "I'll get over it. Besides, Nurse Joy said we shouldn't hug you. It'll hurt you."

"Then don't hug me," she smiled. "I'll just hug you. I know it's awkward when only one of us is hugging, but it's all we can do right now."

Ash turned back to her, his eyes still shaded by his visor. Then, slowly, he lifted up his face, revealing his eyes. They had changed from their natural brown to a deep, emotional auburn. Small tears leaked out of them, trailing down his face.

"What's wrong?" May asked.

"I thought I'd lost you," he replied. "I was scared. I guess I'm just recovering from shock."

He wiped his eyes with the back of his hand, then felt a soft hand on his face, stroking it quietly. "Let me help you," May said, her smile unwavering. "Go on. Lay your head down on the bed."

Ash did so, looking away from May, though she didn't mind. She slowly stroked his back while he let out the pain he felt through his tears, crying quietly as he did so. May then leaned down and kissed him softly on the cheek. As she got back up, she suddenly grunted in pain.

Ash shot up immediately. "Are you all right?" he asked.

"Ugh...I guess I shouldn't've leaned down to kiss you," she grunted. "It's fine. It just hurt, that's all."

Ash took her hand. "I'm sorry this is happening to you," he said. "I should never have left you on the ground in the first place."

"But if you didn't, then Bonnie would be here instead of me," May replied, "and she's smaller than me. She would've gotten hurt worse than I did. It's better this way."

Ash smiled, wiping away the last of his tears. "You know something, May?" he asked.

"What?"

"I think it's really selfless how you did that for her. Not only that, but here you are, sitting in pain, almost getting yourself. And yet the last person you're concerned with is yourself." He stroked her cheek. "That's kinda why I love you so much."

"Well that's also the reason why I fell in love with you in the first place," May grinned, placing her hand over his. "You rubbed off on me."

"Yeah, I guess I did," he shrugged. "But you rubbed off on me first."

"I did?" she said, raising an eyebrow.

"Yep," he smiled. "You were always so happy-go-lucky when we first met. You always had a smile on your face, and that always made the day a bit brighter."

"For you?"

"For everyone!" he said. "I guess it's like the old saying goes: smile everyday. You never know who's falling in love with it." He stroked her cheek some more. "I know I did."  
May smiled and placed her hand over his. They locked eyes and, for a moment, Ash could see the brightness in May's eyes return. Then she slowly closed her eyes, as did he, and they slowly came together for a kiss. They stayed that way for a while, slightly deepening the kiss though not to the point where a child would call it disgusting.

"AHEM!"

"Ah!" Ash and May yelped at the same time, surprised. There, standing in the doorway, was a monstrous creature, fists clenched by his sides, an impatient expression on his face.

"What is that?!" May squealed in fright.

"Uh, May, I can explain," Ash said, trying to calm her.

"No, let me," the monster interjected, slowly walking up to them. "Hey there, Bandanas. You really took a hit back there, didn't you?"

"Huh?" May raised an eyebrow, still frightened, but as she looked into the monster's eyes, the realization dawned on her. "No...it can't be!"

"Yeah, I know," Sonic sighed. "I must look like a crossbreed between a Darkrai and a Mightyena right now."

"How did this happen?" Ash asked.

"Well, I'd love to talk about it," Sonic replied, "but unfortunately, Eggman's up to something really bad, and I gotta stop him. If you wanna hear all about it, you can tag along if you want."

"Sounds like a plan," Ash nodded, pumping his fist. Then he stopped and turned to May. "But then again, I should stay –"

"No," May shook her head. "You should go, Ash."

"But May –"

"No 'buts,' Ash," she said. "If Eggman's up to something, then the world could be in danger. If Sonic needs your help, then you go with him."

"But who will look after you if I'm gone?" he asked.

"I'll be fine," she rolled her eyes. "Nurse Joy and the others will keep an eye on me. Besides," she went on, rummaging through her fanny pack on the table by her bed, "you'll always have a part of me with you, right?" She pulled out her half of the Terracotta ribbon.

A smile lit up on Ash's face as he dug into his backpack's side pocket and pulled out the other half. "I sure will," he said. They connected their ribbons together, then put them away again. "Thanks, May."

"No problem, Ash."

He leaned forward and kissed her briefly on the lips. She reciprocated with a longer kiss, and they stayed connected for ten seconds before Sonic growled impatiently.

"What is this, some Cupidian thing?"

"Sorry," Ash said, coming up off the bed. "I got a little carried away." He turned to May. "I'll see you real soon, all right?"

"All right," May winked. With that, Ash and Sonic exited the room.

* * *

 _A boy and his Hog, hm? Fascinating. It appears they have their sights set on the doctor. Fine then. Let them think they are pursuing. When the time is right, the tables shall turn. Then these fools' usefulness will end._

 _And I shall dispose of them._


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6: Vaniville Acts

The small town of Vaniville is a quaint, quiet place to live. For one who simply can't stand noise, it's paradise. For the restless wanderer, it's a prison. For the restless wanderer who simply can't stand noise, it's hell.

Early in the morning after the battle in Lumiose City, before the sun was up, a young blonde was shifting restlessly in her bed. Her long, golden hair was tangled up while her bright blue eyes blinked desperately. She hadn't got so much as a wink of sleep. She'd gotten up six times in the night: four to get a drink of water, and two to get a midnight snack, but it was no use. Nothing made her eyes want to close.

With a sigh, she reached over to a table sitting by her bed to get another drink of water. But her hand grasped something else instead: a blue ribbon given to her by a beloved friend. For a moment, she put it down, only to pick it back up again. She looked at it, though it was hard to see in the darkness, and held it to her chest, rubbing her thumb over its soft silk. She sighed, her face only falling even more as she continued her restless night alone.

* * *

"Where exactly are we going?" Sonic, still a Werehog, asked as he walked through the dense, forest grass.

"Don't worry, Sonikan," Hoopa grinned. "We're getting help. You don't want to go on your quest to beat the Eggman alone, right?"

"Right," Sonic said. "But who are we getting help from?"

"An old friend," Hoopa replied. "Ah! Here we are!"

Sonic raised an eyebrow (or whatever he had). "What's this?"

"Vaniville Town," Hoopa said.

Sonic looked at his companion with a small bit of doubt in his eyes. "How do you know our friend lives here?"

"I developed a psychic bond with her when we met, and now I know where she is all the time," Hoopa explained.

"I see," Sonic nodded, although he didn't actually.

* * *

The blonde girl was still in bed holding her ribbon, eyes shot from lack of sleep, when she heard voices outside. At first, she thought it was in her head. But when they continued, she shot up and looked out the window. A monster was walking through her yard!

"Oh no!" she whispered. "What is that? Mom's not gonna like this!" She leapt out of bed and grabbed a Pokeball, rushing out.

* * *

"Hey," Sonic muttered, "what's that smell?"

Hoopa sniffed the air. "I don't smell anything."

"I don't remember having such a strong sense of smell," Sonic said to himself. "Where did it come from?"

"Maybe from your monster-guy form?"

Sonic carefully scratched his head thoughtfully. "Maybe," he muttered. "I still don't understand everything about this, so you're probably right. I wonder –"

"FLAMETHROWER, NOW!"

Sonic jumped on hearing the sudden command and narrowly escaped a torrent of fire aimed right at him. Hoopa took cover in his shadow. When the smoke cleared, he saw a bipedal fox-like Pokemon holding a wooden stick at the end of which a small flame burned.

"A Braixen?" he said somewhat stupidly.

"Again!" came the command. Braixen unleashed another torrent of flames, but this time Sonic was ready. He leapt out of the way and, running on all fours, pounced on Braixen and punched it with a powerful uppercut. Braixen fell onto her back, but quickly leapt back up and gracefully spun around, then knelt down. Sonic rolled his eyes and threw a spitball at her torch, extinguishing it. The fox Pokemon was not happy about this and reignited it, throwing another torrent of fire at Sonic with an animalistic grunt. He rolled out of the way and smashed Braixen against the back of her head, knocking her onto her face.

"Did she just say –?" Sonic started.

"No!" Hoopa snapped at him. "She was just saying what she always says."

"Good," Sonic grumbled, then he said to himself so Hoopa couldn't hear, "Was it Japanese, then?"

The sky was starting to light up as dawn approached. Braixen attacked with another torrent of flames. Sonic dodged, but he hit a wall. Braixen seized the opportunity and closed in on Sonic, backing him up against the wall. He saw a tree branch above him and desperately reached for it. His arm suddenly stretched up and snatched it in an almost elastic manner. Shocked, he found himself yanked up and thrown into the sky, screaming in surprise.

"That was odd," the blonde girl said on seeing this. By now, the sun was visibly rising.

"Hey, Serena!"

The blonde girl started on hearing her name called. "Huh? Who – Bonnie!" she exclaimed as the little, yellow-haired girl leapt into her arms in a bear hug.

"I missed you, Serena!" Bonnie giggled.

"I missed you too, Bonnie," Serena replied, hugging her back.

"Okay, Bonnie," came the familiar voice of Clemont. "Don't strangle the poor girl."

"Oh, right," Bonnie sheepishly let go. "Sorry."

"No need for that," Serena chuckled. "So what brings you guys here?"

"We came to find you," Clemont said. "We need your help."

"Help? What do you need me fo–"

"WHOOAAAAAAAAA!" a flailing figure cried from above before landing face-first in the ground. His legs stuck up a moment, then flopped to the ground. "Not the nose again," he grumbled, his voice muffled by the ground.

"Sonic!" Serena exclaimed. "Where did you come from?"

Sonic pulled himself out of the ground, restored to his natural form, and dusted himself off. "I accidentally launched myself into the sky," he said. "Gee...those rubber arms are more flexible than they look."

"Rubber arms?"

"Yeah. I was being chased down by this angry fox who wanted to barbecue me for dinner or something," he explained.

Serena's eyes widened. "You mean Braixen? But...we were chasing a monster –"

"And it was him!" Hoopa suddenly jumped out of Sonic's shadow, appearing to have his hands on his hips. Everyone gasped in shock, especially Serena. "You were trying to kill him!"

"I was?" Serena repeated, shocked. "But...I don't understand."

"He's got this big bad monster-guy thing going on, and he changes into it sometimes."

"Yeah," Sonic nodded. "It's weird."

"Oh, Sonic," Serena whispered, "I'm so sorry. I didn't realize it was you!"

"Ah, don't sweat it," he shrugged it off. "You're not the first one to make that mistake, and you probably won't be the last."

"I see," she nodded, then yawned. "Oh, man. I sure hope Mom doesn't get mad about all that –"

"SERENAAAAAAAAA!"

Everyone facefaulted. "You had to say it," Bonnie grumbled.

"I had to say it," Serena sighed.

"There you are!" Serena's mom, Grace, said, hands on her hips with an angry glare in her eyes as they walked up to her.

"Mom, I'm sorry, I can explain," Serena talked rapidly. "It was a misunderstanding, there wasn't a monster, it was really –"

"Quiet!" Grace snapped. "Look at what's happened! Did one of your Pokemon do this?!"

Serena looked at what her mom was pointing at and gasped. The fence surrounding the pen of Rhyhorn they kept for Rhyhorn Racing was broken. The Rhyhorn had escaped!

"What happened?!" Serena cried.

"Well that's new," Clemont scratched his chin thoughtfully.

"The Rhyhorn broke out and are rampaging around town," Grace went on. "We can't stop them. What happened?!"

"I don't know!" she protested. "The only sounds I heard all night were from Sonic!"

Grace raised an eyebrow. "Sonic?"

"Yeah, that's right," the blue hedgehog nodded, stepping forward. "I got into your front yard, and then Braixen attacked me because she thought I was a monster."  
"Why would she think that?"

"Long story. Can't talk about that now."

"Well, that's good, because we need to herd those Rhyhorn back into the pen. Serena! Get your suit on!"

"Aww man," Serena moaned. "I'm so tired of racing."

"Maybe we should suit up too," Clemont suggested. Bonnie agreed, and they all went indoors. Sonic stayed outside.

"Boy," he muttered, "I sure hope Baseball Head gets here soon. We're gonna need his help."


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7: The Chase

On the outskirts of Vaniville Town, a large herd of Rhyhorn rampaged. Many of them grunted as though they were afraid. Sonic and his posse arrived to see them trudge through a kid's sandbox.

"They're out of control!" Serena exclaimed.

"And yet they're almost coordinated in how they run around," Clemont observed.

"Any idea what provoked them?" Sonic asked.

"It doesn't matter," she replied. "We just need to calm them down so we can herd them back into the pen. But they're too fast to catch up to in a reasonable time."

"I see," Sonic nodded. "Do we have anything faster?"

"I left my motorbike back in Lumiose City," Clemont grumbled.

"My bike isn't even working," Serena sighed. "It got electrocuted by a wild Luxray."

"Too bad I don't have a hoverboard," Sonic said. "Is there anything we have that can outrun a Rhyhorn?"

"I guess not," Clemont replied.

"Then we'll have to think of another strategy," Serena said. "Maybe we should –"

"GUYS!" Bonnie suddenly shouted in exasperation. "WE HAVE LITERALLY THE FASTEST THING ALIVE STANDING RIGHT IN FRONT OF US!"

Everyone was silent for a moment, blinking once, then twice, before performing a collective facepalm.

"Man, you know we've screwed up when even _I_ forget I'm faster than a Rhyhorn," Sonic grumbled.

* * *

"I can't get a hold of him," Ash moaned. "I've tried everything, and I can't reach him."

" _Pika_ ," Pikachu sighed in disappointment as they walked down the path to Vaniville Town.

"It's too bad, really. He could really be helpful at a time like this. Who knows what Eggman's got up his sleeve this time?"

" _Pikachu_."

"I mean, he turned Sonic into this monster thing. What kind of power is he playing with?" Pikachu shivered. Ash stopped and turned to him in concern. "You okay, buddy?"

" _Chu_ ," Pikachu nodded.

After a moment, Ash nodded when he understood. "Scary, isn't it?"

" _Pika. Pi? PikaPikachu!_ "

"Huh?" he looked in the direction Pikachu pointed in. "The Rhyhorn? What are they doing?"

* * *

Sonic tailgated the last Rhyhorn in the herd, trying to locate the herd's leader. "If you can calm that one down, they'll all calm down," Serena told him. This Rhyhorn didn't seem to be the one he was looking for.

"Hang loose, big guy," he said as he vaulted himself up and jumped over the herd.

"What's he doing?" Clemont wondered as he watched the blue hedgehog's acrobatics.

"I think he's trying to make this go faster," Bonnie said.

The Rhyhorn at the back of the group slowed to a stop when Sonic jumped off of him. It looked around, confused, before turning and walking away in the opposite direction that the herd was running in. It disappeared into a bush.

"You guys really need to learn how to bathe," Sonic grumbled as he nimbly leapt from one Rhyhorn to the next. "You smell like pigs! Aha! There you are!"

One of the Rhyhorn glared up at him when he insulted them. The others followed suit. He'd found their leader. However, he didn't have much time to celebrate, as the Rhyhorn picked up their pace and slowly pushed him towards the front of the herd.

"What are they doing?" Clemont wondered.

Serena gasped. "They're trying to trample him over!"

"Wuh-oh!" Sonic grunted as he fought back against the herd, but their strength was too much for him. Slowly, he got pushed closer and closer to the front. "Not good! Not good at all! Oh, jeez...this isn't going to turn into 'Long Live the King: The Sequel,' is it?!"

"Don't slip, Oily! We've got you covered!"

Everyone gasped at that voice. Suddenly, a Rhyhorn leapt out of the bushes. A familiar figure was mounted on its back.

"It's Ash!" Bonnie exclaimed.

"In the nick of time, too!" Clemont cheered.

"Ash?" Serena nearly whispered, eyes wide and throat slightly dry.

The raven-haired trainer rushed forward and quickly caught up with Sonic as he was being pushed toward the front of the pack. "Sonic!" he called. "Jump on!"

Sonic obliged and leapt out of the pack and onto Ash's Rhyhorn. "You're late, Baseball Head!"

"Sorry," Ash replied through the wind. "I was looking for someone."

"Tell me later," Sonic replied. "We've got trouble!"

"Thank you, maid," Ash grumbled under his breath.

They ran in front of the herd and gradually slowed down. The rest of the herd, unwilling to trample one of their own, slowed down with it. Then, finally, they all came to a halt.

"Yes!" Bonnie cheered. "They did it!"

"Okay, quickly," Serena said hastily. "Let's herd them back into the pen. Go! Move! No time to lollygag!" Everyone quickly started to move out except for her, as well as the raven-haired trainer, as their eyes met for the first time in a long time. In the midst of the commotion surrounding them, all they could see was each other. No words were spoken, nor were they necessary, as the sad expressions on their faces said it all.

"Hey, Baseball Head," Sonic said, stepping in front of him. "You know how Pikachu can hurt a Rhyhorn if he aims for the horn? Well, one of these guys is being a bit of a doozy. Is it okay if –?" He stopped when Ash didn't respond. "Ash? You all right? What's –" He turned and saw Serena, then looked back at Ash. "Oh," he murmured, slowly edging away. "This is a bit more awkward than I expected."

"Your hair," Ash finally said. "You changed it back?"

Serena didn't respond. She just slowly walked towards him as though in a trance. "I haven't heard from you in a while," he said, trying to make small talk. "Have you entered any more showcases? I'd love to see what you and Braixen have put together since –"

His rambling got cut short when Serena lunged at him in a huge hug. She laid her head on his shoulder and clutched the back of his shirt.

"I missed you," she whispered.

Ash was taken back, and his expression quickly became sad once again as he lightly returned the hug. "Yeah," he said half-heartedly. "You too."

* * *

 _A broken heart can't beat again unless it gets rebuilt. If it breaks in half, it's easy to put back together. But your heart was shredded to pieces when he chose her over you._

 _You're going to need help to rebuild it. Let me help. Oh, trust me, you_ **will** _thank me later._


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8: The Great Daisy

With the Rhyhorn herd all rounded up, Ash, Sonic, and co. accepted Grace's hospitality. Unseen by any of them, Hoopa slipped out of Sonic's shadow and inspected the Rhyhorn. "I wonder what made them go crazy," he wondered. "Was it the energy that turns Sonic into a monster?" He paused a moment. "How does that even work, anyway?

He shrugged as he continued inspecting the Rhyhorn as they ate the grass. Eventually, he found the herd leader, still pawing the ground restlessly. Hoopa tilted his head to the side, puzzled. "What's making it so restless?" He looked closer and shivered when he saw a possible answer.

* * *

"So let me get this straight," Serena said after Sonic finished telling everyone what happened. "You were pursuing Eggman in space, you had him cornered in a super form, and then he ripped the Chaos Emeralds out of you and turned you into this hideous beast before hurling you down to earth?"

"Yep. That's what happened," Sonic nodded. "In fact, I willing to bet that the reason the herd of Rhyhorn had a hissy fit is because one of the Chaos Emeralds landed around here."

"I wouldn't be surprised," Ash agreed, munching on some chips Grace brought out for lunch. "I've only known Chaos energy for a few years, but I know it's like a highly unstable variant of aura. Heck, it's almost like a dark variant."

"How do you know this?" Clemont asked, a gleam of interest in his eye.

"Ever since we took down Cyrus, Shadow's been teaching me how to tap into aura and Chaos," Ash explained. "I only tap into it when absolutely necessary, though."

"Do you get to have a force field?" Bonnie asked.

"Well, that is something I could make," he said, "but like I said, only when I have to."

"If he does tap into it, you can tell," Sonic chuckled. "He glows blue."

Ash looked at him, confused. "I do?"

"Yup. What, you didn't know?" he said when Ash still looked confused. "It's like you have this field of energy all around you."

"Like Greninja!" Bonnie exclaimed.

"Hm," Ash nodded. "I see." His smile turned neutral at the thought. "I wonder what he's up to now."

"Hey guys!"

Everyone started on hearing the sudden voice. "Hoopa?!" Sonic exclaimed as the mischievous Pokemon emerged from under the table. "Where'd you come from?"

"I was checking out the Rhyhorn," he said.

"Checking out the Rhyhorn?" Bonnie raised an eyebrow. "What, are they attractive or –"

"Not that kind of checking out!" Serena snapped in irritation.

"Oh," Bonnie blinked.

"Did you find anything?" Sonic asked eagerly.

"Yeah! Look!" He held up a small diamond-shaped stone. It gleamed in the sunlight, shimmering as the rays of the sun hit it at different angles.

"Whoa," Bonnie breathed. "It's so...pretty."

"And obnoxiously bright," Serena noted.

"Well, that was anticlimactic," Sonic mumbled. "I was hoping we'd find a Chaos Emerald, not some ordinary jewelry."

"I don't think this is ordinary jewelry," Hoopa replied. Everyone perked in interest. "I psychically pulled it out of the leader of the Rhyhorn pack. After that, it completely calmed down."

"Really?" Ash raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah. There's something funny about it."

"Hm," Sonic mused. "I guess we'll hold onto it then."

"Yeah, right," Ash nodded, then his eyes lit up. "Hey, Serena! Maybe you should wear it!"

"Huh?" Serena blinked.

"You like jewelry, right?"

"Yeah, but –"

"So let's put this in a necklace, and then you can wear it!"

"But Ash...I'm already wearing a necklace."

Ash blinked. "So?" Bonnie facepalmed.

"It'd be kinda awkward to be wearing two necklaces at once. They'd get tangled up."

"Oh," was all he said. "Okay. I guess I'll just hold onto it then."

"You one for wearing necklaces?" Clemont asked.

"Not really," Ash shrugged. "But hey, you do what you have to."

* * *

An hour passed. After everyone ate lunch, they began packing up, getting ready to set out for Lumiose City once again. Ash was already packed up, so he spent the time getting some rest. As he laid back, he sighed deeply.

" _Pika_?"

He looked at his best friend with a conflicted gaze. "What am I going to do about her, Pikachu?"

" _Pikachu_ ," Pikachu shrugged.

"She's been this way ever since I told her about May," he said, looking up at the ceiling. "I knew she liked me, but I didn't realize she liked me that much. I just want her to be her normal, cheerful self again."

" _Pika_ ," Pikachu agreed, and he laid down with him, staring at the ceiling with him in silence.

"Blondie doesn't seem very well lately."

Ash turned to see Sonic enter the room. "You think?" he muttered sarcastically. "She's actually been like this for a long time."

"Really?" Sonic said, raising an eyebrow (or whatever he had).

"Yeah," he replied. "Ever since she heard about May and me, she's been like this."

"Weird," Sonic said, scratching his head. "It's like it has something to do with the fact that you and Bandanas are dating."

"That's because it _does_ have something to do with it!" Ash told him, annoyed by his cluelessness.

"Oh," Sonic nodded. "So what, she's jealous?"

"Jealous," Ash agreed, "and depressed."

"Depressed?" Sonic raised an eyebrow. "Why depressed?"

"I think the whole reason she traveled with me in Kalos was because she liked me. She wanted me to reciprocate her feelings." He sighed sadly and shook his head. "But I couldn't."

"No shock there."

"When I told her about May, everything I loved about Serena – her personality, her bright eyes, her love of jewelry, all of that – it's like they just...disappeared. She wouldn't even accept this jewel from me to wear as a necklace."

"Is there anything else you could do to make her smile?"

"I don't know," Ash said. "The thing is, Serena's ideal of happiness is impossible for me to fulfill. Even if I did end up becoming her boyfriend, it still wouldn't be enough. She's living in a fantasy. I can't help her. As much as I want to make her happy, I can't."

"That's too bad," Sonic sighed. "Well, maybe an adventure will lighten her up. Hey, we might be going on a worldwide tour!"

"That sounds awesome," Ash agreed, smiling and sitting up in a change of mood. "I haven't seen some of my friends in a long time. Isn't that right, Pikachu?"

" _Pika_!"

"Well, I hope we're about ready to go," Sonic said, tapping his foot impatiently. "I'm getting antsy waiting around."

"It won't be much longer, I'm sure," Ash grinned.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9: The Dark Wind

In the southernmost area of Kalos, a small wildlife preserve exists where Pokemon stay undisturbed. Only those with a pure heart are permitted to enter. It's a beautiful place, full of bright colors and several different species of Pokemon.

At the moment, however, the usually lively area was duller than usual. The Pokemon seemed tired, preferring to sleep as much as possible rather than do what they were made to do. As a result, things were getting out of balance.

" _Very_ out of balance."

* * *

"Well, this is just great," Ash grumbled, putting his arm in front of his face to shield it.

"We don't usually get windstorms out here," Serena commented, imitating him. "This is a rare occassion. Appreciate it while it lasts."

"I don't get what you guys are complaining about," Sonic said with a shrug, completely undeterred as they walked along. "It's just wind. If I was you, I'd just run with it."

"Well not everyone can run at the speed of sound," Ash replied. "We're not used to wind blasting our faces."

The wind suddenly picked up its pace, pushing everyone to the right towards the dense forest. "Ungh!" Clemont grunted. "This wasn't in the forecast!"

"Hang on tight, guys!" Bonnie called over the roaring wind.

Suddenly, Pikachu slipped. The wind picked up the poor Pokemon and threw him into the forest with a prolonged cry.

"Pikachu!" Ash cried.

"Oh no!" Clemont exclaimed.

"Quick! After him!" Hoopa shouted. They ran into the forest, searching wildly for their missing Pokemon. But before they even got a clue where he was, they got hopelessly lost.

"Oh no," Bonnie whimpered. "What do we do now?"

"Just how strong was that wind?" Ash wondered. "Pikachu couldn't have flown that far, could he?"

"He's not too heavy, you know," Sonic said. "But by my estimate, that wind shouldn't have thrown him farther than a few miles. We would've found him by now."

"Then why haven't we?" Serena asked.

"He must've got up and gone his own way," Clemont said. "He could be anywhere right now."

"Great, just great," Serena grumbled. "We're lost in a forest looking for someone who may not even be in here in the first place."

"Hm," Ash hummed, "Clemont, can you get a hold of any of our friends so they can help?"

Clemont pulled out his cell phone, only for his face to fall. "I've got no signal!"

"Boy, this afternoon heat's getting to me now," Sonic muttered, a sweat bead on his head.

Suddenly, Hoopa's eyes widened. "Friends!"

"Huh?" Everyone turned to him.

"We have friends this way!" he told them. "Come on! Follow me!" Everyone obliged as Hoopa led them through some thick forest that proved difficult to maneuver. Twigs and tree branches brushed their arms and legs roughly, but the trek stayed smooth.

"Almost there," Hoopa said after five minutes of this. No sooner had he said this than one of them cried out as they fell to the ground.

"Ahh!"

Ash gasped. "Serena!"

"Ungh," the blonde moaned, sitting up.

"Here," Clemont helped her up. She walked forward, but faltered. "What is it?"

"My ankle," she whimpered. "I think I twisted it."

"Here," Sonic said, leaning her against a small rock. "You rest here. I'll stick around to keep you safe."

"Thanks, Sonic," she smiled.

"You guys go ahead," he said to the others. "I'll catch up later. No sweat."

"You got it. Thanks, Sonic," Ash gave him a thumbs up, which he gladly returned. Then Ash, Clemont, and Bonnie continued to follow Hoopa. A few steps later, they came into a clearing and gasped.

"Whoa!" Bonnie breathed.

"What is this place?" Clemont wondered.

"It looks like what humans call a wildlife preserve," Hoopa said. "There are lots of Pokemon here. Come on!"

"Hm," Ash said. "I wonder if Pikachu found his way over here."

Clemont and Bonnie immediately dove into the park and began playing with the Pokemon, chasing them around and playing games with them. Hoopa did likewise. Ash, meanwhile, remained occupied with his search for his best friend. He looked around, and while he did see some Pikachu here and there, none of them were his.

" _Tor_?"

He turned suddenly, wondering if his friend had found him first. His hopeful expression quickly faded when he saw what his companion was.

"Oh," he said. "A Torchic."

" _Torchic_! _Tor–chic_!" it chirped, jumping up and snatching his hat off of his head.

"Hey!" he called. "That's mine!"

Torchic just winked at him, wagging its tail as though to taunt him.

"Oh," he grinned a sly grin. "So that's what it is, huh? Okay, then! Ready or not, here I come!" With that, he and Torchic took off on a chase of their own.

Torchic ran under a low-hanging tree and scampered out into a clearing. Ash had to duck to avoid hitting his head, so he slowed down a little, which gave Torchic a slight advantage. Torchic then ran through an irregularly-shaped log that appeared to wiggle all around. By the time Ash got into the clearing, Torchic was nowhere to be found.

"Where'd it go?" he scratched his head. His question was answered by a chirping from above. Torchic was on top of a small ledge. "You stinker!" Ash yelled, laughing as he climbed up the small wall while Torchic took off once again. He ran past some Bidoof by a small pond, where some Froakie played their own games. Torchic ran around a tree, and Ash caught up to it, but it quickly became a game of coming around the right side of the tree, as he tried to catch the silly Pokemon. Above them, a Weavile laid back, resting.

"Gotcha!" Ash cried triumphantly, snagging Torchic with a diving leap. His loud cry snapped Weavile awake, and the Pokemon promptly fell out of the tree on top of him, loosening his grip on Torchic and allowing it to get away. "Darn it!" he groaned and turned to Weavile. "Were you up there?" He noticed Weavile's feathery crown was a little bent up from the fall. "Ooh. Sorry about that. Oops! Gotta run!" With that, he leapt up and ran after Torchic once again.

" _Vile_ ," was all the Weavile said before it climbed back up into the tree to rest once again.

He continued to chase after Torchic through an open field, swiftly overtaking it. He dove after it again, but it barely jumped out of his reach. As it did so, the hat slipped out of its grasp. Ash rushed to catch it, but he couldn't reach it before it plopped into a small pond. He waded through the pond and grabbed it. It was soaked.

"Aw, man," he moaned. "I just washed it, too."

" _Tor-chic_?" the Torchic asked, looking guilty.

Ash put his hat on his head and chuckled as he left the pond and saw Torchic. "Hey, it's okay," he smiled, patting its head reassuringly. "I have other hats that have been through a lot worse. Besides, it's pretty hot out here. If anything, the water will help me cool off."

" _Torchic_ ," Torchic sighed, sitting down.

Ash saw its depression and smiled, stroking it once again. "You don't have to feel so bad," he said, chuckling slightly. "Heh. Actually, you kinda remind me of my girlfriend, May."

" _Tor_?"

"She even started her journey with a Torchic," he said, continuing to absentmindedly stroke Torchic's head. "She was so unsure of herself back then…"

"Ash?"

"When I look back, it's crazy to think of how much she's grown." He sighed, his expression turning sad. "I hope she'll be okay."

"Ash!"

He looked up. "Huh?"

"Boy am I glad to see you! You showed up just in time!"

Ash's eyes widened when he saw who his companion was. "Hey, Tails! Long time no see! What brings you here?"

"What brings _me_ here?" the two-tailed fox said, confused. "I think _I_ should be asking: what brings _you_ here?"

"Pikachu got blown off my shoulder," he said. "We were looking for him and stumbled on this place." He jumped when he remembered. "Ah! Pikachu! Have you seen him!"

"No, I haven't," Tails shook his head, "but I'd be glad to help find him. I'm going to need his help, and yours."

"Huh? Why's that?"

"I've been staying here for several months, observing the wild Pokemon in their natural habitat for some research," he explained. "But something's wrong. They're usually very active, but yesterday, they started behaving differently. They almost seem depressed, and I don't know why."

"Really?" he said. "That's strange."

" _Chic_! _Torchic_!" Torchic suddenly exclaimed, leaping up and running off.

"Huh?" Ash exclaimed. "What is it?"

"The Pokemon!" Tails exclaimed. "They're disappearing?!"

"Come on," Ash said, leaping up. "We gotta figure out what's going on." They ran over to the clearing, where they found the Pokemon caught in a net. Clemon and Hoopa were there, too, while Bonnie tugged at the net.

"I can't untie it!" she cried.

"That's because it's not tied, ya twerpette!"

Everyone flinched on hearing that voice.

"Prepare for trouble," came another voice.

"Make it double," came a third.

"To protect the world from devastation."

"To unite all peoples within our nation."

"To denounce the evils of truth and love."  
"To extend our reach to the stars above."

"Jessie!"

"James!"

"Team Rocket blast off at the speed of light!"

"Surrender now or prepare to fight, fight, fight!"

"Meowth, that's right!"

" _Wooooooobbuffet!_ "

"It's Team Rocket!" Tails shouted angrily.

"Because who else would try this?" Ash growled. "You let these Pokemon go, now!"

"Why do you even care about these Pokemon?" Jessie sneered at him. "What do you owe them?"

"You're trying to steal them, and I can save them," he replied. "And if I can, then I _will_!"

"Talk about willpower," James muttered.

"Hey, at this point, what else is new?" Meowth grumbled.

"All right," Jessie smiled deviously. "We'll let them go."

Ash blinked. "Wait, what?"

"You will?" Tails said.

"On one condition," James sneered, holding up a cage. "You get the other Pokemon…"

"And we get your Pikachu!" Meowth finished.

" _Pikapi_!" Pikachu cried from within the cage while his captors laughed.

"Pikachu!" Ash exclaimed.

"You rotten crooks!" Clemont shouted. "You won't get away with this!"

"So, _Twerp_ ," Jessie sneered, "what's your choice? The other Pokemon, or Pikachu?"

Ash ground his teeth. Then he started and looked away as though he saw something. Everyone looked at him, puzzled.

"We don't have forever, kid," Meowth said, tapping his foot impatiently. "We've got a curfew, ya know. We don't have time to wait this out. We need an answer now. Come on! Going once...going twice…"

"What's it gonna be?" James taunted. "Pikachu, or the others?"

Ash didn't respond for a moment, still looking the other way. Then he spoke.

"Sorry, Team Rocket," he said, turning back to them with a grin, "but I make my own fate."

"Huh?" they said, confused.

"Now!" he shouted in the direction he was facing. From there, a blur of water suddenly shot out, rapidly spinning through the air and slamming James' hand, which held Pikachu's cage.

"Gah!" James squealed. The cage fell out of his hand, breaking and releasing the captive.

"Pikachu!" Ash exclaimed as his best friend leapt into his arms. "You okay, buddy?"

" _Pika Pika_!" Pikachu squeaked cheerfully.

"Ooh, you tricky little twerp!" Jessie growled.

"Fine! You keep the Pikachu, we'll take the rest of them!" James shouted.

"Oh no you don't!" Ash retorted, and another blast of water shot out and snapped the net, freeing the Pokemon.

"Gah!" Meowth cried.

"Now, for the finish," Ash grinned. "Mat Block, now!"

A blurred figure slipped by, and Team Rocket launched into the air. Then, the same blur zipped by several times, knocking the incompetent trio around before finally slamming them to the ground. Then it launched them into the sky, where the stars were just starting to appear with the sun gone.

"LOOKS LIKE TEAM ROCKET'S BLASTING OFF AGAIN!"

 _Ding_.

"Don't worry, Team Rocket," Ash smirked, adjusting his hat. "The pain will pass."

"Wow!" Tails exclaimed. "That was amazing! How did you do that?"

"It wasn't me," he grinned. On cue, the blurred figure appeared by his side.

"It's Greninja!" Bonnie exclaimed.

"How'd you know he was nearby?" Tails asked.

"It's a long story," Ash said.

"I'm glad these Pokemon are okay," Clemont said. "Hopefully they'll be left in peace from now on."

 _I'm afraid that's not possible_.

Everyone froze on hearing the sudden voice. Then a black explosion suddenly erupted from the middle of them. Ash swiftly brought his arm up and covered his tightly-shut eyes in response. When he opened them again, darkness surrounded him.

"What?" he said. "What's going on?"

In response, a mysterious figure appeared. When its feet touched the ground, the darkness was replaced by a strange, dark area. Mysterious crystals surrounded them. The figure looked up, revealing a pair of sinister purple eyes.

"What the…" Ash whispered.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10: Nightfall

 _Your power_ the sinister figure hissed. _It calls to me. Unbelievable._

"What?" Ash said, his voice trembling slightly. "What are you?"

The figure bored into his eyes with its own. Slit pupils revealed a dark soul.

"Wait," Ash breathed, suddenly recognizing the figure. "You're…"

The creature didn't let him finish, as it suddenly enveloped itself in power which burst forth, forcing Ash to cover his eyes once again. When he opened them, the creature looked bigger and stronger.

 _Show me your strength_ the creature pointed at him in challenge, _and we shall fight to the death_.

Ash didn't respond. He just shook his head.

 _Do not defy me_ it growled. _Let us fight to the death, or else I shall kill you_.

"I can't beat you," Ash said. "You and I both know that."

 _Do we? Have we met before?_

"What?" Ash blinked. "What do you mean?"

 _Do not trifle with me_ the creature growled again, growing impatient. _I will ask you one more time:_ fight _me, or you will die!_

Ash shook his head. "It doesn't matter," he said. "I'm dead either way."

 _Pathetic_ the creature shook its head scornfully. _You won't even raise your hand to defend yourself? Very well. I have no time for these petty games._ A ball of dark energy formed in the palm of its hand. _Farewell!_

Ash crossed his arms in front of his body in a vain attempt to defend himself, knowing even if he called on the aura to save him, the power would be inadequate. The creature unleashed the ball of energy, and it crackled violently as it flew towards its target.

It never hit.

Ash heard an explosion from beside him, but no pain. He looked up sharply in confusion. _What's this?!_ the creature exclaimed.

"Get away from him, monster!"

Ash recognized that voice immediately. "Sonic!"

"You okay, Ash?" Sonic, presently a werehog, asked him. "That looked like it could've been bad."

"Yeah. Thanks."

 _You again_ the creature glared at Sonic. _I don't wish to fight you...not yet._

"Sorry, but Baseball Head's off the roster this go-round," Sonic retorted. "You want a fight? Then fight me!"

The creature looked at him thoughtfully, then chuckled darkly. _I guess it wouldn't hurt to have a casual fight for once. I could use the change of pace, anyway. Very well, then. I accept your challenge._

Sonic got into a battle stance, his massive fists clenched. He leapt forward and tried to punch the strange creature. The creature didn't even budge as the werehog's fist bounced off an invisible barrier, knocking him back. He leapt back up and charged forward, punching it again. This time, the creature retaliated and threw him back with a psychic force. Sonic hit the wall, but with some quick thinking, he pushed off the wall and dropped down on the creature with his fists, slamming its head. The creature groaned in pain, clearly fazed, but it quickly regained its bearings and threw Sonic across the chamber. Sonic skidded across the ground, digging his feet in to stop his momentum, before charging towards the creature on all fours. With a mighty leap, he latched onto the creature and viciously shook it.

 _GUH!_ the creature grunted, and it threw him off. _Your power is greater than I anticipated_ it said. _I seem to have underestimated you. No matter. I shall show you your place._ When Sonic attacked again, the creature stopped him in mid-air, dangling him mercilessly before tossing him into Ash, knocking both of them back.

"Ungh!" Ash cried.

 _This isn't over, you insignificant fools_ the creature snarled as the dark realm around them shook violently. _We will meet again. And next time, I won't be playing games._ With that, the realm exploded, blinding Ash and Sonic. Then all was calm once again.

"Ugh," Sonic, still a werehog, groaned as he rubbed his arm. "That smarts."

"What in the world was that?!" Ash shivered.

"I don't know," Sonic said, "but it seemed to know who I was."

"I thought I recognized it as well," Ash said, stroking his chin thoughtfully, "but it seemed so different. Was it a different –?"

"Ash! Sonic!"

They turned and saw a familiar face running towards them. "Serena!" Ash exclaimed. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," she said, breathing heavily as she caught her breath. "My ankle's all better now, but I saw Sonic disappear suddenly, and then I came here to find you guys. I was so worried. Are you hurt? What happened?"

"We got stuck in some alternate dimension of sorts," Sonic explained. "There was this creature there that wanted to fight us. Otherwise, we're okay."

"Oh, thank goodness," Serena sighed in relief, clutching her chest. "I was so scared. Please don't put yourselves through that again."

"Hey, it wasn't our fault," Ash insisted. "We got sucked in against our wills." His expression softened. "I'm sorry I made you worry."

"It's okay," she smiled. "I'm just glad you're okay."

"Hey, guys!"

The three of them turned and saw Tails running up to them. "Tails!" Ash said.

"Ash! Serena! Sonic! Are you okay?"

"Yeah, we're fine," Sonic nodded. "Where are the others? Did they find Pikachu?"

"Yes," Tails said, gesturing. "We're over there. Come on: we've got some food cooking on a bonfire if you're hungry!" With that, he ran in that direction.

"Well, what are we waiting for?" Ash grinned. "Let's eat!"

"I'm not that hungry, but hey, at least I'll be with friends," Serena shrugged.

"Then let's go!" Sonic grinned. "I may look like a freak, but I still love me some chili dogs!"

With that, they laughed and followed Tails under the night sky, innumerable stars shining above them.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11: The Next Step

After everyone had eaten, they quickly went to sleep. Only Sonic, trapped in his monstrous form, stayed awake. His form wouldn't allow him to sleep. He sat with his sleeping friends and looked at the sky, sighing wistfully.

"Why don't you get some rest? You look exhausted."

He turned to see his best friend walking up to him. "I can't sleep, Tails," he said. "As long as I turn into this...horror when it's night out, I can't sleep a wink."

"Really?" Tails said. "Does it only happen at night?"

"Uh," Sonic blinked, thinking it over. Then his eyes widened with realization. "You know, now that I think about it, yes! It's only happened at night. That, and when Baseball Head and I got sucked into that strange other dimension."

"So when the sun sets," Tails said, "you turn into a werehog. Then, when the sun rises, you become yourself again."

"That's it, then," Sonic nodded. "It's all a matter of the sun and moon."

"Hm," Tails mused. "I wonder if there are Pokemon related to those. Maybe they could help you."

"Maybe there are," Sonic said with a shrug. "But I wouldn't put it past them. They're probably busy right about now."

"Yeah," Tails nodded. For a few minutes, the two of them just sat there in silence.

"Hey, Tails?" Sonic said, breaking the silence.

"Yeah?"

"When you found us earlier and brought us back to camp, how did you recognize me?"

Tails blinked. "What do you mean? I could recognize you in the blink of an eye."

"When I'm a hedgehog, sure. But I wasn't a hedgehog then. I was...this thing, yet you still didn't think twice when you found me. How'd you do that?"

Tails smiled. "When you and I have been best friends as long as we have, it doesn't matter what form you get stuck in. Even if you were glowing so bright that I couldn't even look at you, in your heart of hearts, you would still be Sonic the Hedgehog. I know you well enough that a small change in form can't stop me from recognizing you."

Sonic took all this in, then smiled at his friend. "Thanks Tails," he said. "I needed that."

"No problem," Tails winked, giving him a thumbs-up.

"Hm," Sonic mused. "I sure hope we can find the Chaos Emeralds soon. No doubt Eggman's hunting for them as we speak."

"The Chaos Emeralds?" Tails asked, intrigued.

"Yeah," Sonic nodded. "I had them all when I fought Eggman in space, but I lost them when he yanked them out of me and threw us out."

"I see," Tails said. "Well, you're in luck. It just so happens that one of the emeralds landed right in our little corner of paradise." He pulled out a yellow emerald for them to see.

"Oh, good!" Sonic smiled. "That's helpful. Now we just need to find the rest of them. Hm…"

"Hey, you know me," Tails grinned. "I'm one step ahead of you. I have a radar system that requires one Chaos Emerald and can locate the others." He pulled out a handheld yellow device.

"Seems about right for the likes of you," Sonic said, still smiling. "So what's the deal there?"

Tails booted up the device, revealing a global map. "With the world broken apart as it is, every major region of the world is separated. Thankfully, I don't think that's anything a strong aircraft can't handle."

"And the emeralds?"

"It looks like five others each scattered into five other major regions of the world," he said. "It's going to take a while to recover them."

"No sweat," Sonic smirked, folding his arms. "As long as we can get them in time to stop Eggman's plans, we'll be good as gold."

"Right!" Tails agreed.

"Hey, wait a minute," Sonic said, suddenly realizing something. "Even if we visited the other five regions, that would only leave us with six emeralds."

"Right," Tails nodded slowly.

"Then what about the seventh emerald?"

"Well, I've located it," Tails explained, "but it's in a region I know nothing about."

"But you have located it, right?"

"Right," Tails said. "Still, I think it would be more beneficial if we went through the other five regions first. We're more familiar with those regions, so finding those emeralds won't be as difficult as finding that last one."

"Okay," Sonic nodded. "Then where should we head next?"

"I think the closest region to here is the Unova region," Tails said. "That would probably be our most logical next step."

"All right, then," Sonic said. "When the sun is up, it's to Unova we go!"

* * *

 _Hmhmhmhmhmhm...come to me, my prey._


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12: Taking Flight

"Unova?" Ash said that morning when everyone was up.

"That's right," Sonic replied. "According to Tails' radar, there's a Chaos Emerald there. Since it's close by, we'll stop there next."

"Sounds good to me," Clemont said.

"I always wanted to see the Unova region," Serena smiled. "I've heard it's very modern, and everyone there is quite sophisticated." At this, Ash started giggling slightly, but he stifled himself. Serena looked at him, puzzled. "What's so funny?"

"Oh, nothing," he snickered.

"Well, what are we waiting for?" Bonnie said, jumping excitedly. "Let's go!"

"How do we get there, though?" Clemont asked. "We don't exactly have enough flying Pokemon to carry us over there."

"That's no problem," Tails said, walking over to a large willow tree. He pushed a switch, then suddenly the tree's branches lifted up, revealing a super advanced plane.

"Whoa!" Sonic exclaimed. "Have you been busy, Tails?"

"Yup!"

"Isn't this the Tornado X?" Ash asked.

" _Pikachu_?"

"It used to be," Tails nodded. "But after a recent skirmish with Eggman, it sustained some heavy damage and lacked the power to equal him. I needed to upgrade."

"Wow," Ash said. "You've done a fine job of it."

"You have your friend to thank for that," Tails replied, pointing at Clemont.

"Clemont!" Ash said, grinning. "You were helping Tails?"

"That's right," the inventor nodded. "This is actually part of what that machine I was building back at the gym was for."

"Oh, yeah!" Tails said. "Is that ready for me?"

"Um...yeah, about that," Clemont sweatdropped.

"What? Is it not finished?"

"It was," he said, "but then Eggman tried to steal it, and it got destroyed in the process."

"Oh," Tails blinked. "Hm...well, I guess there's nothing we can do about that."

"Hey, no need to go burning daylight around here," Sonic said suddenly, tapping his foot impatiently. "We've got a Chaos Emerald to find!"

"Right!" Tails said. "The question is, where should we land in Unova?"

"Castelia City," Ash said.

"Huh?"

"It's the largest city in the region, and pretty advanced, too. It's the perfect spot to land the Tornado!"

"All right, then," Tails nodded. "Everyone board the Tornado NX!"

Ash blinked. "Tornado NX?" he repeated.

"Yup," Tails said. "It's the next step up from Tornado X!"

"Hm!" Ash said. "Sounds kinda like a codename, if you ask me."

" _Pikachu_."

* * *

A large battleship hovered over an even larger expanse of ocean, with some small ships flanking it. The Egg Carrier glistened in the sunlight as its namesake chuckled while he put the next phase in his plan into action.

"Now let me see," he said. "The last time I was here I nearly crashed and burned. Ha! Not this time. Now the Egg Carrier is heat resistant!" With that, he put his hand on a lever.

"But Doctor...you do know what happened the last time someone attacked these islands, right?"

"Yes, James," Eggman replied curtly. "And I know this could put the world in greater danger than I would like. However, I've carefully calculated every variable. As long as everything goes exactly according to plan, this will be a piece of cake."

"Right, then," Meowth grinned, his paw hovering over a button. "Just give me the signal, and I'll dispatch the shockers."

"Very well," Eggman sneered. "Get ready. This game's about to get two times harder!"

* * *

The Tornado NX took no time in showing off its capabilities as it swiftly shot through the Kalos sky and took off for Unova. Unlike past iterations, which could hold around two people at most, the Tornado NX was almost like a standard transportation plane, as it could hold a few dozen people. Since there were only six passengers, however (not including Pokemon), the rest of the plane was sealed off so it could be used to make the plane more powerful.

"Wow," Sonic grinned. "Tails really went and did it this time. This plane is incredible!"

"I'll say," Ash mirrored his grin. "We'll be in Castelia City in no time!"

"Yeah," Sonic nodded, his expression becoming more conflicted.

"What is it?" Ash asked.

"Nothing," Sonic shrugged. "Well, okay, not nothing, but...that strange creature we fought in that dark dimension…"

Ash's expression mirrored his once again. "Yeah, I've been thinking about that, too," he said. "It looked so familiar, and yet so...different. I thought I knew what it was, but now I'm not so sure."

"Well, I sure hope that encounter doesn't end up changing our course. Or at least, if it does, it doesn't force us to make a 180 turn."

"As if it wasn't bad enough that we have Eggman to worry about," Ash muttered. "Let's just keep our eyes open for now."

"Right," Sonic nodded. Right after he spoke, a small alarm began blaring. "What?"

"What's going on?" Ash asked.

"Hang on, everyone!" Tails called over the loudspeakers. "We're hitting some strange turbulence!"

"What kind of turbulence?" Ash wondered.

Clemont gasped. "It looks like a small tornado! A _real_ one!"

"That's impossible," Serena exclaimed on hearing this. "Tornadoes don't appear this high in the sky, and even if they did, they wouldn't appear in this geographical location."

"Then what's going on?" Sonic asked.

The loudspeakers suddenly started emitting disjointed static, startling everyone. After a moment, they stopped, and a familiar voice came through:

"Listen up, you twerps: I'm giving you a choice here, and I suggest you choose wisely. Hand over the Pikachu, and I'll stop this tornado and let you all live."

Everyone gasped. "It's Team Rocket!" Ash cried.

"Not again!" Sonic groaned.

"Why didn't they start with the motto?" Bonnie wondered.

"Well I wanted to, but James and Meowth are busy elsewhere," Jessie's voice replied. "Now hurry up and hand over the Pikachu."

"Forget it!" Ash yelled back. "I'll send you blasting off like always. Tails, where is she?"

Tails emerged from the cockpit chamber a moment later. "She's nowhere in range. I can't get a hold of her!"

"What?!" Ash cried. "How can that be?!"

"I'm not going to wait much longer, you twerps," Jessie growled over the intercom. "Give me the Pikachu, or you're as good as dead!"

"Guys," Sonic said, "I don't think she's kidding around." The Tornado NX began to rock violently in the wind.

"What do we do?" Hoopa whimpered.

Ash clenched his fists. He looked at his best friend, perched on his shoulder and quivering with fear. Pikachu looked back at him, and a quiet, unspoken assurance passed between them. Ash nodded slowly, then turned back to his friends.

"I know what to do," he said. With that, he walked over to a door at the side of the plane with the words "Emergency Exit" written on it.

"Ash, what are you –" Serena started, but she was cut off by the violent wind rushing into the plane. Ash had kicked the door open!

"What?!" Sonic cried.

"Listen up, Jessie," Ash shouted, "Pikachu's the one you want, right? Then you let my friends go. They're not the ones you want." He put his hand on the side of the doorway leading out of the plane. Then he put his other hand onto his cap and flipped it around.

"Ash, no!" Clemont called.

"You want me?" Ash yelled back at Jessie. "COME AND GET ME!" With that, he yanked Pikachu off his shoulder, hugged him close to his chest, and leapt out of the plane.

"ASH!" Bonnie screamed.


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13: Garbage In, Garbage Out

The wind hissed through Ash's ears as he and Pikachu plummeted through the sky. With very thick clouds blotting the sun from sight, the heat swiftly drained from Ash's body, numbing him all over. His hand trembled as he tried to move it to reach for his belt, where his Pokeballs were, but he could do nothing.

Pikachu, desperate to save his trainer, unleashed a strong Thunderbolt on him. The wind quickly drained the jolt of heat from the trainer's body once again, however, so Pikachu's attack did nothing to revive him. However, the Pokeball Ash wanted absorbed part of the current, jolting it to life and releasing the Pokemon inside: Charizard! When the orange dragon saw what was happening, he quickly went into a nosedive and snatched the now-unconscious Ash in his arms. Seeing this, Pikachu scampered out of Ash's arms and onto Charizard's back, where he huddled to stay safe from the violent gale. Charizard, having plenty of experience in flight, managed to steer them out of the tornado and to the ground, where he tossed Ash into a patch of grass. The trainer rolled over and then came to a stop, motionless. His hat slipped off of his head.

Pikachu rushed up to him, pushing him lightly. " _Pika pika_ ," he said, trying to wake him up. " _Pikachu_."

Ash didn't respond. Charizard walked up and touched Ash's arm. It was cold and numb. Seeing this, Charizard did his favorite thing to do to Ash: he incinerated him with a jet of flames. Then he touched his arm again: it was warm once again. He nodded in satisfaction, and turned away to stand guard.

" _Piiiikaaaaaa_!"

Charizard's head instantly snapped around on hearing Pikachu's cry. The Pokemon was trapped in a cage!

"Nice of you to take out the twerp for me, big guy," Jessie grinned, holding the cage up high. "Now be a good little dragon and get back inside your Pokeball while I –"

She never finished, as Charizard incinerated _her_ with a jet of flames. In the process, he destroyed Pikachu's cage and set him free. He scampered out and unleashed a Thunderbolt on Jessie, sending her blasting off.

"Ungh…"

The two Pokemon looked up and saw Ash crawl to his feet. "Huh?" he said. "What happened?"

" _Pikapi_!" Pikachu cried, rushing up to him and tackling him.

"Ah! Pikachu!" he exclaimed. "Whew! I'm glad you're safe, buddy."

" _Raaaah_ ," Charizard chimed in, running up and nuzzling him.

"Charizard!" Ash said, hugging him. Then he pulled back. "You guys are the best."

" _Pikachu_."

" _Rawr_."

Ash chuckled, but his smile quickly evaporated. "We need to find Sonic and the others," he said. "There's no telling what that tornado did to them."

Charizard nodded and crouched down, motioning to his back.

"Right, then," Ash nodded as he started to climb up. "We should have no trouble finding them from the – GAH! Charizard!"

" _Hm_?" Charizard raised an eyebrow.

"Your wing! It's been torn!"

Charizard looked at his wing, surprised. Sure enough, there was a small rip on the side.

"Oh no," Ash groaned. "I guess we'll have to find our way on foot. Ugh...and we don't even know where we are…"

* * *

The Tornado NX spiraled out of control in the violent winds. Thankfully, the winds died down shortly after Ash jumped out of the plane. Regardless, the systems were unstable.

"We need to land this plane right away!" Tails exclaimed. "Looks like Team Rocket was kind enough to push us closer to Castelia City. Hang on, everyone! This is going to be a little rough."

"Hurry!" Sonic said, tapping his foot _very_ impatiently. "We need to find Ash and Pikachu as soon as possible!"

"I know, I know," Tails said. "Don't worry. We'll go after them as soon as the rest of us are safe!"

With that, Tails piloted the plane towards the cloud-piercing city. They were losing altitude quickly, and the Tornado NX was shuddering violently in the wind. Thankfully, with Tails' expert piloting skills, they managed to land safely on top of a sturdy skyscraper. Once they were safely grounded, everyone piled out, with Sonic and Hoopa at the forefront and Serena at the back.

"Whew!" Sonic said, wiping his brow (or whatever he had). "Nice going there, buddy. Seems upgrading my old plane hasn't hampered your skills at all."

"Nope!" Tails grinned, folding his arms in pride. "Not a bit." Then he unfolded them and looked at Sonic urgently. "Now you should go! You can probably reach Ash and Pikachu faster than the rest of us."

"'Probably,'" Sonic said, mockingly quoting his friend. "That's a bit of an understatement, doncha think?" They chuckled. Then, after playfully punching Tails' arm and giving his signature thumbs-up, Sonic took off, running down the building, with Hoopa tagging along in his shadow. "All right!" he cheered as he ran. "It's like Speed Highway all over again! Woo!"

* * *

"Well that didn't take long," Ash mumbled as he and Pikachu stumbled out of the forest. "Honestly, I thought it would be a while before we could see the sun again."

" _Pikachu_ ," Pikachu agreed.

"But now what?" he muttered, putting his hands on his hips. "Looks like we're on a paved road of sorts. Guess we'll have to wing it." With that, he began walking in one direction. The road was fairly straight with little action going on. After some time walking, Ash paused to catch his breath.

"I don't know, Pikachu," he said. "We don't seem to be getting anywhere. If only we could –"

"Hey, kid."

Ash started on hearing the sudden voice. "Huh?"

"What's the matter? Lost?"

He turned and saw a big, burly man standing near him, a rather unpleasant sneer on his face. "Uh, yeah," he said. "I'm trying to find a town. Can you help me?"

"Heheheh," the man chuckled. "Sorry kid, but I'm not the helping type." With that, he lunged at Ash, but the quick-thinking trainer anticipated this and dodged to the side. "What the–?!"

"It takes someone pretty stupid to fall for that," Ash snapped. "Trying to mug me, are you?"

"Why, you little smartass," the man growled, lunging at him again.

"That's smart- _Ash_ to you," Ash grinned in reply.

"Come 'ere, you little punk!" the man shouted, now thoroughly angry. He lunged at him again, only to meet the same result. This continued for some time until the man managed to catch his prey. In the process, Pikachu fell off of Ash's shoulder.

" _Pika_!" he cried.

"Pikachu!" Ash called from within the thug's grip. "Go on! Get outta here! This guy's not afraid to hurt someone!"

Pikachu didn't wait. He dashed away, but the thug saw this and tried to pursue him, releasing Ash briefly. This gave the trainer enough time to run after him. He jumped onto his back and yanked at his ears.

"YAAHHHH!" the thug screamed in pain.

"You stay away from my Pikachu!" he shouted. In response, the man threw him onto his back. He skid across the street and his jacket tore.

"Now you're gonna get it, kid," the thug snarled. "You're gonna wish your mama had a bigger –"

"SHUT UP!" Ash shouted suddenly, tackling him head-on. The thug laughed at his ineffectiveness and threw him to the side. He hit a thorny bush, tearing his clothes up even further. "Aggh!" he cried, clutching his arm, where blood was starting to trickle out.

"Surrender?"

"Not a chance!"

"Fine then," the thug grinned. "I prefer the hard way anyways." With that, he raised his fists to knock out the Pokemon trainer. But before he could drop the blow, a red blur slammed into him from the side.

"What?!" Ash and the thug exclaimed at the same time.

"Get away from him, you big bully!"

The thug spun around, slightly dizzy. "Uhh...huh?" he said. The red blur slammed into him again, this time knocking him onto his back. Then it stopped in place on top of him, revealing its identity.

Ash's eyes widened as a smile appeared on his face. "It's Knuckles!"

Knuckles the Echidna socked the thug in the jaw, finishing him off and leaving him unconscious. Satisfied, he strolled over to Ash. "Long time no see, Ketchum. Seems you've been holding up fairly well."

"As well as I can be," Ash grinned. "So what brings you out here?"

"I was in Opelucid City," Knuckles explained. "I got invited there by some archaeologists. They were curious about Angel Island. Not that I was having any of it."

"Opelucid City?" Ash said. "Can you take me there from here? Pikachu and I were looking for a town." He stretched a bit, and something ripped. "Oh, jeez!" he jumped at this. "My clothes! Aw, man, and Mom just sewed them, too."

"Got lost?"

"Heh...it's a long story." With that, the two of them set off for the city, while Ash explained everything that had happened since he and Sonic ran into each other in Lumiose City. The sun was halfway across the sky, indicating it was about noon.

* * *

"That was a close call," Tails said as soon as he was back on the ground again.

"I'll say," Serena mumbled while they walked through the city. "How long will it take for Clemont and Bonnie to repair that piece of junk?"

"Excuse me?!" Tails snapped back. "I worked for months on making that plane as good as it was before the tornado hit. Don't insult my work!"

"Pft, give me a break," Serena grumbled. "Magearna could do a better job fixing that garbage than you could."

Tails stopped and stood directly in her pathway, an angry glare in his eye. "That 'garbage' was a gift to me from Sonic. He always told me he believed I could be as big of a hero as he was, if not bigger. So that 'garbage' is very important to me: it's a symbol of our friendship, which only gets stronger every passing day."

"Well I still hear more about him than you, you whiny little Vulpix!" Serena shouted at him.

By now, their arguing was starting to turn some heads. When Serena shouted that, the usual bustle surrounding them quieted down drastically. They noticed this, and Tails, not wanting to make a scene, grunted in disgust and continued on. Serena, on the other hand, suddenly realized what she said and rushed quickly to catch up with Tails.

"Tails," she said, "I'm so sorry! I didn't mean it, I swear! Oh, goodness, I can't believe I said that."

"Ash always said you were a fairly nice girl," Tails replied as they walked on. "I guess you were his favorite if you're so nice to him and so mean to everyone else."

At this, Serena stopped. His words hit the nail on the head, and all she could do was let her face fall. "Yeah," was all she said. With that, the two of them continued searching for help in the city.

* * *

"Ah, here we are," Knuckles said as they came to town.

"Seems a bit quieter since I was last here," Ash said, raising an eyebrow slightly.

"Hm?" Knuckles looked around. "Hm, you're right: it is quiet. Maybe even a little too quiet. It wasn't like this a few hours ago."

"Then where is everybody?" Ash wondered.

" _Pikapi_!"

They turned and saw Pikachu happily running up to his trainer. "Hey, Pikachu!" Ash grinned as the Pokemon jumped into his arms. He then noticed some scratches on Pikachu's body. "Uh-oh," he said. "It looks like you got a little beat up on your way here. Should we head to the Pokemon Center?"

" _Chu_ ," Pikachu nodded. With that, they quickly walked to the center and checked in.

* * *

"This is about the place where Ash jumped out," Sonic said as he slowed his pace in a dense forest. "We should be close."

"Keep your eyes on the ground," Hoopa suggested. "Maybe their imprints are still there."

"Right," Sonic nodded, wiping his brow. "Whew! This afternoon heat sure is beating down."

"You said it," Hoopa agreed. "Maybe there's a pond nearby."

"Maybe," Sonic shrugged. "But we've got more important things to focus on. Hey, look!"

"Huh?" Hoopa looked up. There was a large patch of grass on the ground that appeared indented, as though a large mass was laying there.

"I think we've found our Baseball Head," Sonic grinned.

"Then what are we waiting for?" Hoopa cheered. "Let's –"

 _GYAOO!_

They froze. "What was that?!" Sonic exclaimed.

Hoopa's eyes widened in fear. "Uh-oh...GET DOWN!"

"Whoaaaa!" Sonic cried as Hoopa pulled him to the ground. No sooner had he done this than a huge heat wave washed over them. It lasted for but a moment, then vanished. They stood up again.

"That was bad news," Hoopa said.

"But what was it?"

"A powerful Pokemon born of flames," he said. "I don't know what it's doing out here, but we need to find it and stop it before it causes any harm. Come on!"

Sonic looked up at the sky, slightly covered in heat. The sun was still fairly high, as it was nearing the middle of the afternoon.

"All right, then," he said. "Let's crank up the heat!"


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14: Unovan Reunions

Tails and Serena stopped in a restaurant to ask around, hoping to find help for their plane. While they weren't overly successful on that front, they did run into an old friend.

Er, well...one of _Ash's_ old friends. Well, even then, it wouldn't be correct to call him an old friend, since he's one of the people Ash got to know more recently. Now when I write "recently," I don't necessarily mean in the past year. I mean in the larger scope of his journey, this friend he met was more recent than the others. On the other hand, he's still quite young, so he's not old in that sense, either. On that note, he's nowhere near as old as _I_ am.

I suppose that was all very confusing. To put it a bit more simply, they found a green-haired gym leader named Cilan on a visit to Castelia City.

"That's quite a tale you've told, there," Cilan said when Tails and Serena told him what was going on. "It had a very adventurous aroma to it, with a slight dash of bitter with –"

"Hey, this isn't a recipe we're talking, here," Serena interrupted his critique. "We need to find Ash before Team Rocket does. Sonic's already out there looking for him, but we only have so long before the moon is back in the sky. Then he'll be a werehog again, and everything will be harder."

"Right," Cilan nodded. "If you wouldn't mind, I'd like to join you. It's been quite some time since Ash and I were last in contact. It'll be great to see him again. Why, I may even get to finally meet his girlfriend! What was her name again?"

As he began counting off his fingers trying to figure out her name, Serena's face fell. _Her name_ she thought, _should've been_ –

"Come on!" Tails interrupted her thoughts. "We'll get you to the Tornado NX! It should be repaired and ready to fly again soon!" With that, they rushed to the bottom floor of their skyscraper.

"This'll take a while," Cilan muttered as they entered the elevator.

* * *

When Ash and Knuckles walked out of the Pokemon Center, the sun was considerably lower in the sky, although it was still bright daylight out. Ash, now wearing a white and blue shirt and a hat with a blue Pokeball emblem on it, wiped his brow. "Whew!" he said. "I don't remember it being this hot out here."

" _Pikachu_ ," Pikachu agreed, his fur curling up slightly.

"Must be a heat wave of sorts," Knuckles shrugged. "Come on. Let's –"

 _GROOOOOARRRR!_

They froze. "What was that?"

"I don't know," Ash muttered, then he perked up. "No, wait! I know that sound! It's –"

As if on cue, a strong gust of wind swept through. They dug their feet and pulled their arms over their faces to keep from getting knocked back. The wind died down, and they stood up again. With the city quiet again, they heard a female voice calling out in fear.

"Dragonite!" it called. "Where are you going? Oh, jeez, not again!"

"It's Iris!" Ash exclaimed, immediately recognizing the voice. He ran towards it. "Hey, Iris! Over here! Hey!"

"Huh?" her voice called back. "Oh, not now. I don't have time for this!"

"Iris, it's me, Ash!" he replied.

Iris came out of a thicket and gasped. "Ash?" she said.

"Yeah, remember?" he asked, wondering if she'd forgotten.

"Oh, Ash!" she cried, running up to him. "Of course I remember! How could I forget? Boy, I'm glad to see you. I need your help!"

"Yeah, I had a feeling," Ash nodded. "Something going on with Dragonite?"

"I don't know," Iris said, shaking her head. "He popped out of his Pokeball and started flying around madly."

"Not again," Ash muttered. "When will that knucklehead ever learn?"

"Hey!" Knuckles, who had been quiet up to this point, shouted. "Don't go insulting me like that!"

"Gah! I wasn't talking about you!" Ash waved his hands in front of him defensively. "I was talking about Dragonite!"

"Oh, don't start a fight," Iris said. "We've got bigger problems."

"Okay, okay," Ash said, turning back to her. "Is there anything else you can tell me?"

"I don't know," Iris shook her head. "All I know is that when Dragonite took off, he seemed both his usual, grouchy self and panic-stricken at the same time."

"His usual grouchy self," Ash mused, stroking his chin as he thought. "Then he was looking for a challenge?"

"I think so," Iris said.

"But nothing ever strikes fear into that guy," he said. "Why would he be afraid?"

"Well what's the strongest Pokemon he ever came into conflict with?" Knuckles asked.

"Another Dragonite, I guess," Iris said.

"Another of his kind," Knuckles nodded. "And he wasn't afraid, I take it?"  
"No," Iris shook her head.

"But if a pseudo-legend couldn't strike fear into his heart...then what could?"

Ash's eyes widened as the pieces suddenly fell into place. "Not a pseudo-legend," he said. "A _true_ legend." No sooner had he said this than a drop of sweat fell from his head. He touched the place where it fell and wiped his forehead again, as the sweat continued to form. However, this sweat was not based on fear.

It was based on heat.

 _GYAOO!_

Ash didn't waste another moment. Immediately, he turned tail and ran towards the edge of the city. "Ash?!" Iris and Knuckles called.

"Hurry!" Ash shouted back urgently. "I think I know what Dragonite's up against!"

Iris huffed irritably. "Oh, that Ketchum," she grumbled. "Always running off like that with no explanation. So annoying!"

"You said it," Knuckles sighed. "What a kid, huh?"

"Yeah, no ki–HEY! That's my line!"

* * *

"Okay," Tails said as everyone clamored into the Tornado NX. "We should have enough power to get us far enough north to find Sonic and Ash. Strap yourselves in, everyone!"

Everyone complied, including their new companion Cilan, and with that they took off.

* * *

On the outskirts of Opelucid City, a blue hedgehog and his mythical Pokemon friend stood still, cautiously looking around. "I don't see anything," Sonic said. "Do you?"

"No," Hoopa shook his head. "But I can sense it. The legendary Pokemon is close."

No sooner had he said this than another loud cry pierced the silence. The temperature surrounding them rose drastically as a shadow fell over them. Then the shadow's source was revealed as it faced them, standing majestically on the ground.

Sonic gasped. "It's Moltres!"


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15: Red Moon

The flaming phoenix didn't hesitate to attack Sonic and Hoopa, unleashing a torrent of flames. Sonic and Hoopa dodged this, and Hoopa slipped into Sonic's shadow.

"Keep him distracted!" he called. "I've got a plan!"

"Uh, okay!" Sonic replied, dodging another jet of fire. He ran behind the majestic bird and hopped across its back before curling into a ball and striking it in the head. Moltres shrieked in pain and blew fire all over in confusion. The surrounding forest caught fire and started burning. Sonic was about to attack again when he heard the cry of an innocent Pokemon. He turned and saw a Pokemon he didn't recognize caught in a burning thicket. He rushed to it and pulled it out. It immediately scampered away to safety.

This distraction proved disastrous, as Moltres took advantage of the opportunity and unleashed another jet of flames. Sonic saw it coming and, with precious little time to react, leapt blindly out of the way and smacked head-first into a tree. The impact caused him to see stars before he passed out, falling right on top of Hoopa, rendering them both incapacitated. Angered at their intrusion, Moltres marched up to them, fire forming in its mouth. It raised its head and unleashed a massive torrent of flames to incinerate them.

But instead of seeing them burn to a crisp, massive amounts of hot steam erupted before the fire struck. Moltres was shocked and confused, not to mention blinded by the steam. This left it wide open for a large Pokemon to rush right at it and score a very powerful hit, knocking the Phoenix backward a few steps.

" _GROOOOAAAARRRRR!_ " the Pokemon, a Dragonite, roared.

" _KAAREEEEEEEEEE!_ " Moltres shrieked in response, angered once again. Flames spiraled around it before they launched at the Dragonite. Dragonite responded with a jet of flames, equalling Moltres and putting them at a standstill. The two of them poured more power into their attacks until they couldn't push any more. The fire was so intense the already burning forest surrounding them began to burn even more.

It was at that moment that Ash and his friends came onto the scene. "Oh, this is bad," he said.

"You think?!" Iris retorted. "We need to put this fire out before it gets out of hand!"

"Any time rain wanted to fall would be fine by me," Knuckles said, his teeth clenched and his fists tight.

"Well until then we're taking matters into our own hands!" Ash shouted, whipping out a Pokeball. "Greninja! I choose you!" He threw it and called out his signature Kalos Pokemon.

" _Ninja_!" it said.

"Greninja!" he said, "Use Water Shuriken and put out all this fire!"

" _Ja_!" Greninja said, and proceeded to launch a ton of aquatic blades that quickly put out a lot of fire. Things looked to be going well.

But just when all looked good and fine, Moltres and Dragonite's stalemate gave out, as they lost energy to keep it going. The resulting explosion forced the others to take cover, but they couldn't escape the impact. As a result, they were knocked unconscious, along with Moltres and Dragonite.

Several hours later, Sonic woke up. The moon was rising in the sky, indicating that night had only recently fallen. As expected, Sonic was a werehog once again.

"Whew!" he huffed, putting his hand to his head. "Now I've got a headache. I should talk to Knuckles. He probably has some advil. Hm...why did Tails give it to him again? Ah, never mind. He's probably in the city nearby." With that, he walked away, forgetting in the moment about Hoopa.

In the city, everything was quiet, as everyone was asleep. Sonic walked around, curious, and came into a clearing. There, he heard a chattering sound and saw a strange Pokemon he'd never seen before. It moved around a bit, then revealed something shiny it had acquired.

Sonic recognized it instantly. "A Chaos Emerald!"

The Pokemon jumped on hearing his voice and would've scampered away. However, Sonic's instincts kicked in, and he pounced on it. The poor Pokemon squealed angrily as he wrested the emerald from its grip.

"Sorry, drumpy," he said, "but this isn't your kind of food."

" _Grrrr_ ," the Pokemon growled angrily but cutely, and it scampered off. Satisfied, Sonic tossed the emerald in the air.

"Drumpy," he muttered. "Where did that come from?"

" _Rrrrrrrrrr_."

Sonic straightened up on hearing the hostile growl. "Oh, great, he came back with friends," he said to himself. But when he turned around, he saw a very different Pokemon glaring at him with narrowed eyes. Though it was different, it wasn't at all foreign to him.

"A Weavile?"

The Weavile didn't wait to make Sonic's acquaintance. It immediately lunged for him, prompting him to jump out of the way.

"Hey!" he said. "I'm not here to make trouble, okay? Please, I just need to find my friends!"

" _Grrraaaaarr_!" Weavile snarled, leaping at him with claws sharpened. Sonic backflipped away, grinding his teeth at his foe.

"All right, fine," he said. "But don't say I didn't give you a chance to walk away without a scratch." Weavile leapt at him again, but this time he punched him away. The Weavile tumbled across the ground and then came to a halt, not moving. Sonic rushed to it and put his hand on its back. It was still breathing.

"Sorry, little buddy," he said. "You'll be okay. Maybe next time we can meet on friendlier terms."

"Hey!"

He turned on hearing the familiar voice, but its owner looked incensed. "What the hell did you do to that Weavile?!"

"Knuckles!" Sonic exclaimed. "Whew! Boy, am I glad to see you. You still got some of that –"

"Don't speak to me that way, you creature!" Knuckles shouted in response. "What are you?!"

"What?! Knuckles, it's me, Sonic!"

This didn't help anything. It only made Knuckles angrier. "Oh, is that so? Don't even try to fool me. I know what Sonic looks like, and he looks nothing like you, you monster. What have you done with him?!"

"Nothing!" Sonic said, growing desperate. "Knuckles, really! It's me!"

"LIAR!" Knuckles roared, punching him in the face. "I don't know what you've done with Sonic, but whatever it is, you...will...PAY!" With that, he punched him again. Sonic didn't retaliate, and Knuckles knocked him onto his back, punching him in the face so that blood started falling from his jaw. All the while, he was shouting at him, demanding to know where Sonic was.

"Knuckles," Sonic said weakly. "It's...really...me. Please...just listen…"

"SILENCE!" Knuckles snarled. "Now tell me, where is Sonic?!"

He raised his fist to punch him again, but before he could connect, something knocked him off of the werehog. Wet and startled, Knuckles rolled onto his feet and looked up. "What –"

"Get away from him, Knuckles!"

He turned and saw a familiar face glaring at him angrily. "What?! Ash, what are you doing?!"

"Leave him alone," Ash growled, his Greninja following suit, "or you'll get another Water Shuriken to the face this time!"

"Ohoho, how amusing," Knuckles chuckled. "You really think your pet frog can hurt me? Ha! I'll go fishing with it!"

Ash and Greninja both looked incensed at this. "Oh, now you've done it," he growled. "Greninja! Let's make him pay for that remark!"

" _Jaaaa_!" Greninja cheered, firing another Water Shuriken. This time, Knuckles deflected it and leapt at Greninja. Despite its agility, Greninja was unable to escape the echidna's attack, and before it knew what was happening, Knuckles was swinging it around by the feet. He then let it fly, spiraling in the air before it slammed into its trainer, knocking them both off their feet.

"Argh!" Ash cried. "Ungh...Greninja, are you okay?"

" _Jaaa_ ," was the reply.

"Ha!" Knuckles grinned. "Your ninja is poorly trained. Did you forget to promote it to a better class or something?"

Ash and Greninja looked at each other a moment. They didn't speak, but they could understand each other. A sly grin formed on Ash's face, and they stood up to face Knuckles once again.

"Nope," Ash said. "We were just warming up. Now the real fight begins!"

"Well I hope you're ready," Knuckles growled, kicking dust and snorting like a bull, "because here I come!" With that, he charged forward, fists blazing, and punched Greninja. But before his punch could connect, a swirling veil of water suddenly surrounded the ninja Pokemon, knocking Knuckles to the side. "What?!"

"Now let's see you handle some NEW power!" Ash cheered as the veil condensed itself into a large shuriken that rested on Greninja's back. Greninja itself looked different, bearing a greater resemblance to Ash. Eyes roaring with challenge, Knuckles ran forward again to attack Greninja. However, Greninja leapt up and dropped down in a dropkick, smacking Knuckles on the head and causing him to tumble forward. It then knocked him into the air with Mat Block and struck him multiple times in midair before kicking him to the side. Resilient, Knuckles jumped back up and rushed forward, fist raised. Greninja caught it and casually tossed him to the side, folding its arms confidently. Knuckles, in a desperate attempt, leapt up and attempted to strike it with both fists at once. Greninja caught his fists and swung him around, much like he did before, and tossed him into the sky.

"Argh!" he cried as he flew. "Why'd it have to be a Team Rocketttttttt!" Unlike Team Rocket, however, he didn't disappear in the sky. A few seconds later, he appeared again, still screaming with his fist pointed down. Greninja casually moved to the side and let him smack into the ground, creating a large hole with his head stuck in the middle. It looked at its trainer, and the two of them casually smirked and fist-bumped. Then Greninja reverted to its normal form.

"Ash!"

Ash perked on hearing the familiar voice. "Tails?"

"There you are!" he said. "I'm glad you're okay. We were so worried!"

"Sorry about that," Ash said, his face falling slightly. "I was only trying to protect you guys."

"Well, all's well that ends well. Goodness! What happened to Knuckles?"  
"Ah, he'll be fine," Ash assured him. "I think you should take a look at Sonic, though. He took a pretty bad beating."

Tails rushed over to his best friend's unconscious form. "Oh, jeez!" he cried. "We need to get him help right away!"

"Go to the Pokemon Center," Ash instructed. "That should make him better." Tails obeyed, leaving the trainer alone with Greninja. "That was impressive," he said. "We haven't tapped into that form in a long time, and yet we did even better than before."

" _Grenin_ ," Greninja agreed.

"I wonder why that is," he muttered. "Neither of us even got scratched." As if in response to his observation, the stone in his necklace glowed slightly, startling them both. "Whoa! What is this?" He held the stone up in his hands.

As he did so, the Weavile from earlier looked up, finally regaining consciousness. Its eyes widened when it saw the stone glowing. Its eyes narrowed, and it quickly scampered off to find its trainer.

On the other side of the clearing, a darker, much more sinister figure eyed the stone with ice-cold eyes filled with hatred. As it stood there, hidden from everyone's sight, only one thought ran through its mind:

 _So I was right. He found it after all. Very well. This will make things much more interesting._


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16: Mythical Skies

"That's an interesting story," Tails said the next morning. Everyone, including Iris and Cilan, were on board the Tornado NX as it flew towards Sinnoh.

"Yeah," Hoopa agreed. "I wonder why Moltres attacked us."

"It was probably just protecting itself," Ash shrugged. "That's what Pokemon do, after all."

"It wasn't like that."

Everyone looked at Hoopa, startled by his words. "What?" Ash said.

"I could sense Moltres' thoughts, and they weren't at all natural. Something strange was going on, something unnatural. It was almost like it was being controlled by an external force."

"Something unnatural," Sonic repeated, putting his bandaged chin in his hand. "Like it was being controlled?"

"Do you think that this unnatural phenomenon was man-made?" Cilan asked.

"Probably," Hoopa nodded. "There's no other way I couldn't recognize it."

Ash and Sonic looked at each other with the same expression and nodded. "It was Eggman," they said in unison.

The moment they did so, the stone in Ash's necklace glowed slightly again. "Ah!" Ash exclaimed. "There it is again!"

"Whoa!" Iris exclaimed. "What is that? And since when were you into jewelry?"

"I'm not sure what it is," Ash replied. "And I'm not big on jewelry. We're just holding onto this thing because it made some Rhyhorn go berserk. This is the second time it's glowed in the last 24 hours. It glowed after Greninja and I synchronized last night, and now again."

"It hurts my eyes," Serena grumbled, blinking rapidly.

"It's not even that bright," Bonnie teased her with a grin. "It's so pretty."

"Whatever," Serena shrugged. "Anyways, if Eggman's behind Moltres' attack, then we've got big trouble on our hands."

"Nothing we can't handle," Clemont grinned, putting his hands on his hips. "Right guys?"

"Right!" Ash grinned.

"Well, let's keep our course set," Tails said. "We're heading for Sinnoh's Lily of the Valley Island."

"Lily of the Valley Island," Ash nodded, looking out the window. "It's been a long time since we were last there, right Pikachu?"

" _Pikachu_ ," Pikachu nodded.

* * *

The Lily of the Valley Conference is an annual event, where the strongest trainers in Sinnoh gather to battle. Several years ago, Ash participated in this conference where, to my knowledge, he had his best showing to date. He finished in the Top 4, only getting knocked out by a trainer whose Darkrai should have been banned. As the conference, at the time described above, would not be held for several months' time, the island was rather quiet.

Nevertheless, the island attracts many tourists each year in its downtime. I myself have paid several visits to the island. More often than not, when I do visit, I am joined by Cynthia, the Champion of Sinnoh. Her fascination with mythology is unparalleled, and, to be quite honest, it makes me slightly uncomfortable. Regardless, I am always glad to assist her in her research.

This particular time, however, we were accompanied by someone else who I would have turned away if not for Cynthia.

"What a strange phenomenon," she said to herself as she examined the wildlife in the "uncivilized" areas.

"Oh?" I said, arms folded behind my back as usual. "What makes you say that?"

"The Pokemon are sluggish and irritable," she replied. "They regard one another with hostility. But why?"

"Hm," our third companion hummed, eyes closed. Then they opened again, revealing their detestable crimson hue. "You appear to be right, Cynthia. There is a strange phenomenon at work here: perhaps stranger than you think."

"Is that right?" she said.

"Hmph," I said. "I have little patience for this. We didn't come here to listen to the musings of a detestable hedgehog."

"Mordecai, please!" Cynthia chided me. "I trust Shadow knows what he's talking about. He has experience with this, after all."

"Hmm," I said, grumbling.

"I don't really understand what's going on," Shadow muttered, bending down and skimming his hand over the ground.

"Is there anything you _can_ understand?" Cynthia asked.

"Yes," Shadow replied, turning to face us. "There is a mysterious energy hidden beneath the surface of this island. It's very different from the Chaos energy I use. But what is it?"

A small smirk appeared on Cynthia's face. "So this is it," she said. "All this time, it's been here of all places."

"What are you talking about?" I asked, puzzled.

"I've recently taken interest in a type of energy that's foreign to my knowledge," she explained. "I've read up on it, and while I've discovered that it can be found in very rare, very small pools at various places throughout the world, it is only native to one region that's remained relatively secluded from the rest of the world."

"And what kind of energy is it?" Shadow asked.

She looked at him with a youthful twinkle in her eye. "Gaia energy."

* * *

The Tornado NX was hovering over Lily of the Valley Island now, with Ash and his friends standing next to an exit on the plane. "Don't forget your parachute this time, Ash," Tails called jokingly.

"Very funny," Ash winked back. "All right, everyone. Get ready!"

With that, the door to the plane opened. Then, one by one, everyone jumped out of the plane, arms and legs spread out. They were cheering in exhilaration. Ash was the last to jump out, hat flipped back with a bright blue skydiving suit. Pikachu jumped right next to him.

"Whooooooo!" he cheered. "This is awesome!"

" _Pika_!" Pikachu agreed.

"All right, Pikachu," he said. "You know what to do! Use Thunderbolt!"

" _Piiiiikaaaaa...CHUUUUUUUUU_!" Pikachu obeyed, unleashed a moderate Thunderbolt attack. The energy that he unleashed appeared in the sky as a beautiful lightning bolt.

"Yeah, way to go!" Ash cheered. More incredible bolts of lightning appeared all around them. "Aw, yeah! This is happening!" The bolts continued to appear. Then Ash turned to Pikachu to tell him to stop, as they were approaching the ground. But when he saw his best friend, he was unconscious.

"Ah! Pikachu!" he cried, swimming through the air to get to him.

" _YOU!_ "

The voice shocked Ash, and he whipped around to face a mysterious figure completely shrouded in darkness. "What?!"

" _GIVVVVE MEEEE THE STONNNNNNE!_ " the figure shouted, reaching for him.

"GAAAHHHHH!"


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter 17: Regrouping

"So," Knuckles said when he was on the ground after gliding through the air, "this is Lily of the Valley Island.

"Wow," Bonnie breathed. "It's gorgeous."

"Well that's no surprise," Cilan grinned. "After all, this is the home of the annual conference of the same name. And with all the tourists –"

"Okay, yeah, I get it," Knuckles stopped him. "Well, it looks like we got separated from the others. We'd better get back together."

"Sounds like a plan," Cilan agreed. "They can't be far. Let's go!"

* * *

After landing, Sonic ran along the side of a small mountain, leaving dust in his wake. Hoopa remained in his shadow. Eventually, Sonic stopped in a forest to look around.

"Heh!" he smirked. "Not a bad place to land, if I do say so myself."

"Sure is pretty," Hoopa agreed.

Suddenly, something zinged by them, forcing them to cover their faces. Some dust settled in the thing's wake, making Sonic's nose twitch.

"Yaaaaa-CHOO!"

"Bless you," Hoopa said, patting his nose.

"Thanks," Sonic replied, rubbing it with his finger. "What was that?"

" _VILE_!"

"Whoa!" they exclaimed, leaping out of the way of yet another zinging object. This time, the object stopped in front of them and glared at them with fiery eyes.

"Weavile!" Sonic exclaimed. "Not the same one from before?!"

"I guess we're about to find out," Hoopa shrugged.

* * *

"Well, that was fun," Serena grinned, taking off her helmet.

"I'll say," Iris said. "Probably the most fun I've had in a long time."

"Well, don't get too comfortable," Clemont said. "It looks like we split up from the others during the fall."

"They can't be too far," Serena shrugged. "Probably just a short distance away. But where's Ash?"

"I'm sure he's fine," Clemont said. "Come on. Let's get moving."

* * *

Weavile jumped up and flew towards Sonic with sharp claws and blinding speed. Even though he was caught off-guard, Sonic still managed to avoid the attack with his superior speed. Weavile attacked him again in the same manner. This time, Sonic rolled under him, then leapt up and delivered a back-kick, striking Weavile in the back of the head and knocking it on its face. Weavile somersaulted back onto its feet and leapt at Sonic again. Sonic backflipped away to avoid the attack, but Weavile anticipated this, as it suddenly leapt up right when he backflipped and shot straight at him through the air. His claws struck and knocked Sonic to the side. Sonic quickly got back on his feet and began spinning in place on the ground. Then he flew forward, still spinning, and slammed into Weavile, knocking it onto its back. Immediately, Sonic jumped into the air and flew back down, foot outstretched in a powerful kick that struck Weavile in the stomach.

Sonic backflipped off of Weavile and landed on his feet, folding his arms confidently. "Sorry, little buddy," he smirked. "I've got places to go. Maybe get a little stronger, then we can have a rematch." With that, he turned to walk away.

" _KAYAAAAAAAAAA_!"

"What?!" Sonic exclaimed, nearly tripping from the sudden roar. Weavile was back on its feet, only this time it was glowing with a strange, multicolored glow. It proceeded to leap forward and attack Sonic, who had no time to dodge. He fell on his back, then got back up, only for Weavile to unleash a large black tornado that knocked Sonic into the air before he fell on his back again. Then Weavile jumped back, flexed its claws, and then extended one of his claws out so it was five times its normal length. Then, before Sonic could counterattack, Weavile leapt forward and struck his entire body with its massive claw, completely knocking him out. Then the energy surrounding Weavile dissipated.

"Weavile!"

" _Hrm_?" Weavile turned and saw someone familiar rushing towards it.

"Goodness, Weavile! What are you doing? You completely knocked out Sonic the Hedgehog?!"

" _Grrrrrr_ ," Weavile growled at Sonic's form.

"Oh, come on, now," the young lady said, putting her hands on her hips. "You know Sonic isn't an enemy. Now let's get him fixed up. When he wakes up, you owe him an apology."

" _Awwww_ ," Weavile grumbled as it got recalled to its Pokeball. The young brunette then picked up Sonic and carried him away.

"Whew!" she said. "Looks like you got a beating back there, huh? Sorry about that. Say, what brings you here anyway?"

* * *

"Ugh," Knuckles grumbled. "We've been searching for an hour now. Where is everybody?"

"I'm sure they're around here somewhere," Cilan muttered, putting his chin in his hand. "Tails had us jump out precisely around this island."

"Then where are they?" Bonnie quipped.

"Bonnie?"

They looked up sharply on hearing the familiar voice. "Huh?"

"Serena?" Bonnie said.

"There you are!" Serena exclaimed happily as she and her friends rushed over. "I figured you'd be okay."

"Of course they are," Clemont grinned. "It's not like this island is hostile or anything."

Serena looked around, confused. "But wait...where's Ash?"

"What, he wasn't with you?" Knuckles blinked.

"No," she replied. "I hope he's okay."

"I'm sure he's fine," Iris smiled. "After all –"

 _GYAOO!_

Everyone froze. "What was –?!" Clemont started.

"LOOK OUT!" Bonnie screamed, ducking. Everyone quickly followed suit as a massive lightning bolt appeared out of nowhere, striking a tree above them. The tree caught fire.

"Oh no!" Cilan exclaimed.

But before the fire could get out of hand, a strong torrent of water erupted from nowhere and put it out.

"What?" Iris said, stunned. "Who –"

"What are you kids doing out here at a time like this?"

Everyone turned and saw a familiar face smirking at them, arms folded over her chest with an amused expression underneath her blonde hair.

Iris gaped in shock. " _Cynthia_?!"

The Champion of Sinnoh merely smiled. "Hello again, Iris. Have you been keeping well?"


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter 18: Synergy

"Oof," Ash grumbled, sitting up. "What in the world was that?"

" _Pika_ ," Pikachu shrugged.

"Why do these things keep happening?" he muttered, rubbing his head. "Is Eggman behind these attacks?" He shook his head. "No, he can't be. How could he control something like that?"

"Does something trouble you, Ash?"

Ash started on hearing the sudden voice. "Huh?"

"Hmph. So we meet again."

A small smile crossed Ash's face as he turned to face his companion. "Hello, Shadow."

* * *

"Curses!" Eggman cursed when he saw the tree Zapdos struck get saved by a jet of water. "What could have put that fire out?!"

"It would appear that a Water-type Pokemon has done this," his robot companion, Orbot, said.

"Oh, THERE'S a big surprise!" Eggman yelled in exasperation, clutching his head. "That's incredible! I think I'm gonna have a heart attack and DIE from that surprise!"

"Well as long as you're complaining about that," Meowth said, folding his arms, "we're wasting daylight while the twerps get closer to the Chaos Emerald."

"They already have two," James agreed. "That makes us two times too slow."

"Well, you know what they say," Jessie grinned.

"Third time's the charm!" they all cheered.

" _Woooooobbuffet_!"

"Will you put that blue freak away?!" Eggman shouted. Jessie recalled Wobbuffet. "I've waited long enough to attack that pesky hedgehog and his friends again. I'll take them both down tonight!"

"Tonight?" Jessie blinked.

"Why tonight?" James asked.

"His theory is that Sonic won't be as big a threat as a werehog than he usually is," Orbot explained, "as his greatest strength is in his speed. Frankly, I find his theory flawed, as Sonic is still immensely powerf–"

"Oh, shut up, you pile of junk!" Eggman yelled, kicking him away. "I know what I'm doing!"

"Yeah," Meowth mumbled, shaking his head. "We noticed."

* * *

"So you say you've lost your friends," Shadow said, arms folded as usual. "Do you know where they are?"

"Somewhere on this island," Ash nodded, along with Pikachu. "Have you seen them?"

"No."

"Hm," Ash mused. "Well, they can't be far. Keep your eyes peeled, Pikachu."

" _Pika_!" Pikachu saluted. Ash chuckled, while Shadow simply let out a "heh."

"So what brings you here, Shadow?" he asked.

"I came here with Cynthia and a friend of her's to search for some mysterious energy," Shadow explained. "She calls it Gaia energy."

"Gaia energy?" Ash raised an eyebrow. "What's that?"

"A fascinating energy found only in certain places around the world. It's fairly rare, as Cynthia only recently discovered its properties. Rumor has it that it is abundant in a secluded, far-off region."

"Interesting," Ash mused. "So why are you guys interested in this energy anyway?"

"Rumor has it that by harnessing the energy properly, a bond between humans and Pokemon can create a phenomenon known as synergy, where a human and Pokemon can quite literally become one."

"What?" Ash's eyes widened, his interest rising.

"It seems preposterous, I know," Shadow shrugged dismissively, "but it is interesting, I'll admit –"

"No, it doesn't sound preposterous at all!" Ash exclaimed.

"What?" Shadow stopped in his tracks, surprised. "Then you think it's true?"

"I _know_ it's true!" Ash said. "I've done it before!"

"What?! But how –"

" _Pikapi_!" Pikachu suddenly cried.

"What the –?!"

An explosion of dust suddenly erupted right in front of them, knocking them onto their backs. Shadow leapt to his feet and quickly helped Ash up to face their aggressor. "Who the hell –?" he started to say.

"Hahaha!" came the voice of a Meowth from within a humanoid mech. "Hello there, Shadow! Long time no see!"

"Team Rocket," the black hedgehog growled.

"What's the matter?" Jessie sneered. "Were you two on a date or something?"

"WHAT?!" Ash and Shadow shouted at the same time.

"I think that pushed them a little far," James muttered.

"The only people going on a date today is you!" Ash yelled. "Pikachu! Thunderbolt, now!"

" _Piiiiikaaaaaaa...CHUUUUUUUUU_!" Pikachu obeyed.

"Not so fast!" Meowth called, pulling a lever from their mech. A strange energy covered the mech in a body-shaped shield and deflected Pikachu's attack. Ash and Shadow jumped away to dodge it.

"I should've known," Ash growled.

"Fine then," Shadow said. "I'll handle this. Chaos Spear!" With that, he unleashed several bolts of energy at the mech. The energy materialized in a shield once again, deflecting the bolts away much like Pikachu's Thunderbolt.

"Nice try!" Jessie grinned. "But I'm afraid it'll take more than that to stop us this time."

"What?!" Shadow exclaimed. "But...that's not possible! How could you stop my Chaos attacks?!"

"Looks like we've got our hands full here," Ash said, grinding his teeth as he gripped a Pokeball on his belt. "So let's shake things up. Greninja! I choose you!" He threw the ball, unleashing the ninja Pokemon.

" _Ninja_!" Greninja said. Immediately, it began to change form as it synchronized with Ash.

"Whoa!" Ash exclaimed. "Transformation already?!"

"Then it _is_ true," Shadow breathed in astonishment.

"Eeeeeeek!" James squealed in fright. "He's already mad!"

"We didn't even do what we were supposed to do yet!" Meowth cried.

"Yes we did," Jessie smirked.

"Greninja, get rid of them!" Ash shouted. "Water Shuriken, NOW!"

" _NinnnnnnJAAAAAA_!" Greninja shouted, firing a massive Water Shuriken at the unfortunate trio. Their mech exploded spectacularly, sending them blasting off. But the explosion was much bigger than normal, and it knocked out Greninja as well. Ash nearly passed out with him, but the synchronization wore off moments before Greninja fainted, so he retained consciousness. He still looked exhausted, though.

"That was...unexpected," Shadow muttered, coming up to Ash. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah," Ash replied. "Just worn from that transformation, that's all."

Shadow nodded. "Then the rumors are true," he said. "Synergy does work." He looked at the fainted Greninja. "But it seems to take a lot of energy to maintain."

"Ah! Greninja!" Ash said, rushing up to his Pokemon and kneeling beside him. He was out cold. "Thanks for your help, buddy," he said, recalling it. "You deserve a rest." He stood up, then faltered.

"It seems you also need a rest," Shadow said, folding his arms.

"No, no I'm fine," Ash said, holding up his hand. He stumbled again, putting his other hand on the tree. Shadow teleported in front of him, arms folded and expression firm.

"I'm _not_ asking," he said.

Ash looked into his eyes and sighed. "All right," he said. "I'll rest."

"Besides," Shadow went on, "it's almost dinner time for you. You must be hungry. After all, you and May have the same appetite."

"What are you –" Ash started to say, but his stomach interrupted him, causing him to sweatdrop.

"I'll get you some food," Shadow said. "Wait here. I'll be back." With that, he walked off.

"Whew!" Ash sighed, leaning his back against a tree. "You don't seem as tired as I do, Pikachu."

" _Pika_ ," Pikachu shook his head.

"Well, it's not like you have some super special form that exhausts all your energy," he winked.

" _Pikachu_."

"Well, if you want to go with Shadow, be my guest. Just don't get into any trouble, okay?"

" _Pika_!" Pikachu grinned, giving him a thumbs-up before scampering after Shadow. When he'd done that, Ash fell asleep.


	19. Chapter 19

Chapter 19: A Shadow Falls

"So you're the champion of Sinnoh I've heard so much about," Serena said as they walked around with Cynthia leading them.

"Yes," Cynthia replied. "And you are?"

"I'm Serena, a Pokemon Performer."

"Performer?"

"Yeah!" she said enthusiastically. "What, you don't know what a showcase is? It's like a beauty pageant for Pokemon!"

"I see," Cynthia mused to herself, stroking her chin thoughtfully. "Hm. I guess it's little more than a change in name, really."

"What's that?"

"Hm? Oh, nothing," Cynthia said, stopping for a moment to address the group. "I don't suppose you would have a general idea on where Ash landed, do you?"

"He's on this island," Knuckles said. "That's all we know, really."

"Knowing him, he's quite all right," Cilan smiled, assured.

"All right. Keep your eyes peeled," Cynthia nodded, and they continued. Serena eyed her with a dubious expression.

"What exactly makes you think you're suddenly leading this expedition?" she asked.

"Hm?"

"We ran into you by chance, and now you're suddenly acting as if you're the leader. Ash is our friend, not –"

"I know," Cynthia interrupted. "But I also know this island fairly well. You need an experienced guide."

"Fine, then," Serena said, folding her arms. "But when we find him, you can skedaddle back to whatever business you have here."

Cynthia blinked. "Okay, sure," she shrugged, confused. _Ash isn't one to make friends with people like this_ she thought. _Where did he find this girl?_

* * *

The sun was starting to set in the sky when Shadow returned to where Ash was laying, only to find him gone. He looked at the berries in his hand and grumbled under his breath.

"This is the gratitude I get? Hmph. Fine then," he said, tossing the berries away. "I guess he had business to attend to." He looked to the sky. "Looks like evening will be here soon. Better find Cynthia and that Mordecai guy." With that, he skated away. "I've never seen a Pokemon do what Ash's Greninja did before, though," he mused. "How was that possible?"

 _Still running, Shadow?_

Shadow froze. "What?! Oh, no…"

Suddenly, darkness enveloped his vision. Then a mysterious figure appeared. When its feet touched the ground, the darkness was replaced by a strange, dark area. Mysterious crystals surrounded them. The figure looked up, revealing a pair of sinister purple eyes.

 _Hello again, Shadow._

Shadow gripped his fists, ready for a fight. "You again..."

* * *

"Ungh," Sonic moaned, sitting up as he finally came to. "What happened?"

"Oh! Sonic, you're awake!" his companion chirped, walking over to him.

"Huh?" he said. "Who are you?"

The brunette woman adjusted her glasses with a smile. "I'm Nia," she said. "And this here is Weavile." She pointed to her Pokemon, sitting on its side with its head in its hand, a frown on its face.

"Yeah, we got ourselves acquainted back there," Sonic muttered, folding his arms. "What's his deal, anyway?"

"I don't know," she said. "He came to me not too long ago and informed me that he'd found a thief who stole something that belongs to us. I guess he thought it was you."

"Why would he think that?"

"Beats me," Nia shrugged. "Sorry about that. Weavile's sorry too, right buddy?"

" _Grrrr_ ," was all Weavile said.

"Huh," Sonic muttered. "What a day. Separated from my friends and then beat up by a Weavile. What else could happen?"

 _Do you really wish to know, hedgehog?_

They froze. "What?!"

"What's going –" Nia started, then darkness flooded their vision. A strange area appeared before them, with a mysterious yet familiar figure standing before them.

"AUGH!" Sonic cried, convulsing as the darkness enveloped him, transforming him into a werehog once again.

"Sonic?!" Nia exclaimed. "What in the –?!"

 _Hmhmhmhmhmhmhmhm_ the mysterious figure grinned. _I have been waiting to meet you again._

"You!" Sonic exclaimed. "You're the one we met back in Kalos!"

 _That's right_ the figure sneered. _And I warned you when we parted ways that next time I wouldn't hold back._ Dark energy violently vibrated in the air, causing Sonic to convulse. Nia could do nothing but watch in fear.

 _You're fortunate_ the figure grumbled, almost in annoyance. _I already blew off quite a bit of steam on a friend of yours. Needless to say, he won't be bothering us again for some time_.

Sonic's eyes widened. _He must mean Ash!_ he thought. "YOU!" he shouted. "What have you done with him?!"

 _Oh, don't worry about him_ the figure sneered. _You won't be seeing him again for a while. Of course, he'll be back eventually, but that's irrelevant._ Suddenly, dark energy burst forth from him, enveloping him briefly before he was visible once again, bigger and stronger again. _This is between you and me._

Nia gasped. "That energy!" she exclaimed. "It's just like –"

"– the energy Weavile used when fighting me?!" Sonic breathed. "How is that possible?!"

 _Save your questions for another time_ the figure snarled. _Like the afterlife!_ With that, he unleashed a ball of dark energy that he'd secretly been charging. Sonic smashed it away with his fist. The figure rushed forward to attack him, but Sonic leapt over him and kicked the back of his head, causing him to groan loudly in pain.

 _YOU!_ the figure roared. _I'll make you pay for this!_

"Fine, but do it later, okay?" Sonic retorted. "I'm short on cash!"

The figure growled lowly. _I can't stay now_ it said. _But we will meet again. And_ next _time, you WON'T like what comes of it._

With these chilling words, everything started convulsing as the darkness gave way, releasing Sonic and Nia back where they'd been before.

"Guh!" Sonic flinched. "That was...bizarre." He looked at his hands, still the claws of the werehog. "Oh, great. Nighttime again?"

"What's happened to you?" Nia asked curiously. "Why are you turning into this monster?"

"It only happens at night," Sonic replied. "It's –"

"Sonic!"

The two of them froze on hearing the voice. "It's Serena!" Sonic exclaimed.

The blonde girl rushed towards him, a smile on her face. "I'm so glad we found you!" She blinked. "Wait, where's Ash?"

Sonic's eyes widened. "He's not with you?"  
"I thought he'd be with you," she replied.

"Great," Sonic mumbled. "Another dilemma. Where could he be?"

"Ash?" Nia repeated. "You don't happen to be talking about Ash _Ketchum_ , do you?"

"What?" Serena blinked. "Sonic, who's this?"

"Oh!" Sonic said. "This is Nia. She saved me from her Weavile."

"I see," the blonde nodded. "I'm Serena, a friend of Sonic's. We're missing our friend."

"Ash is your friend?" Nia blinked, almost in a trance.

"You know him?" Sonic asked.

"Oh, no," Nia shook her head. "But I've heard of him! He's got quite the reputation where I come from!"

"Where you come from?" Serena said. "Where's that?"

"Serena!" another voice called. They turned and saw Iris glaring at her, irritated. "There you are! Why'd you wander off? We need to stick together!"

"Oh! Sorry," Serena said. "I'll be right there. Go back to the group and tell them I found Sonic!"

"You did?" Iris said, her demeanor changing. "That's great! Come back quickly! We need our rest!" With that, she took off.

"She seems impulsive," Nia muttered. "Well, I guess you guys can take care of yourselves."

"What, you're leaving?" Sonic raised an eyebrow.

"Well I don't have anything else to offer you guys," she shrugged.

"Why don't you join us?" he offered. "We could use your help in finding Ash! Unless you have better things to do, that is."

"Uh, Sonic?" Serena said uneasily.

"Oh!" Nia said, flattered. "Why thank you! I'd be honored to join your group, if only temporarily."

"Great!" Sonic grinned. "Then let's head back to camp!" With that, they set off.

* * *

 _Now this makes things even more complicated. Now they have someone who's familiar with Synergy. This could be very problematic. If that little brat learns of the power his stone holds, he could utilize it and bring everything I've built crumbling down! And his Greninja…_

 _NO! I cannot allow this to go on! He must not discover his stone's power. He must not use it against me._

 _He._

 _Must._

 _DIE._


	20. Chapter 20

Chapter 20: Dawn of a New Power

When morning came the next day, the group, accompanied by Nia, Cynthia, and myself, discovered that, for inexplicable reasons, Ash was no longer on the island. Oddly enough, he left Pikachu behind to inform us of his disappearance and to help us find him again through his scent. With this odd information, Tails fired up the Tornado NX once more, and we took flight.

"Why would Ash not be on the island anymore?" Knuckles wondered aloud. "Did he fly away on Charizard again?"

"And why would he leave without us?" Iris mused. "That's not like him."

"There are plenty of things wrong with this picture," Serena muttered, tapping her fingers on the arm of her chair. "If we don't figure them out soon enough, there's no telling what will happen."

"I think you're overreacting," Bonnie said.

"No, I'm just worried."

"Sure you are...for you boyyyyyyfrieeeeeeend!" she teased.

"BONNIE!" Serena shouted. Everyone flinched, shocked at her reaction. She blinked, then realized what she did. "Oh, Bonnie," she said, "I'm sorry. I-I don't know what came over me."

"It's okay," Bonnie said, slightly reserved. "I-I shouldn't have teased you like that." She walked up and hugged her.

"Bonnie," Serena said, returning her hug.

"Is she usually like this?" Cynthia said, turning to Sonic.

"I don't know," he shrugged. "We don't hang out a lot. I heard she has a crush on Ash, but that's about it."

"Oh?" I said, putting my hand on my chin as I stroked it. "Interesting. Perhaps she's jealous?"

"Very," Sonic nodded. "After Ash and May started dating, something really changed in her demeanor. It's like she's an entirely different person."

"I'll say!" Hoopa agreed, popping up out of Sonic's shadow. "She was really friendly when I met her! Now she's a grump!"

"A grump, hm?" I mused. "I guess that makes Bonnie a not-so-grump."

"Hoopa!" Cynthia exclaimed. "What on earth?!"

"Hello!" Hoopa grinned, holding a ring to her. "Want a donut?"

"Um...no thanks," Cynthia shrugged. "But what's a rare Pokemon like you doing hiding in Sonic's shadow?"

"Sonic and I met after Eggman shattered the planet," Hoopa explained. "We've been tagging along together since then to stop him."

"I see," I said. "Well I don't think it will make much difference if we can't find Ash."

"No worries, Mr. Mordecai!" Tails called from the cockpit. "We're coming up on his location right now!"

Cynthia looked out the window and gasped. "He's here?"

"Where are we?" Knuckles asked.

She turned back to us, a surprised expression on her face. "Mt. Coronet!"

* * *

Spear Pillar, the summit of Mt. Coronet, was still largely barren. Only Ash was there, looking around curiously.

"It's here somewhere," he said to himself. "I know it." Then a glimmer shone from one of the pillars surrounding him, illuminating his black and yellow vest. "That's it!" he exclaimed, rushing over and pulling the Chaos Emerald out of the pillar. He looked at it with a confused look. "But how did it get wedged in the pillar?" He looked at the pillar again and saw that there was no wedged hole where the emerald had been. It was almost as if…

"...it was never there," he murmured. "But how can that be?"

 _GYAOO!_

He flinched. "What was that?"

He turned and saw a very unwelcome sight facing him: Zapdos flew some distance above the ground, glaring at him with a very hostile gaze that would put an Arbok's Glare attack to shame.

"Hm! Finally decided to show up, eh? Fine, then. Let's kick some tail feathers!" He whipped out his Pokeball. "Let's go, Infernape!" He threw it, only for it to bounce on the ground lifelessly. His eyes widened. "What?!" He rushed over, picked it up, and threw it again, only to meet the same result. He tried a third time, but nothing happened. "What is this?!"

"Hahaha! You should have known better than to search for the Chaos Emeralds alone, Ketchum. You make this look too easy!"

Ash ground his teeth, recognizing the voice immediately. "Eggman," he growled. In response, the doctor emerged from behind Zapdos in his signature Egg Mobile. His face, as usual, had a grin on it.

"Surprised to see me?" he sneered. "Why else would Zapdos specifically target you?"

"Because you captured it!" Ash shouted. "And you captured Moltres too, didn't you?"

"You are correct, sir!" Eggman grinned. "Seems you're not quite as bird-brained as some of your friends would have me believe!"

"I've grown," Ash replied.

"What?" the doctor said, confused.

"I'm not a stupid kid anymore," the young man continued. "I know better than to come charging into danger recklessly like you'd think I would."

"Ha! Stupid brat. You say that when all of your Pokemon are trapped inside their Pokeballs. Even Pikachu is nowhere to be found!"

"Yeah?" Ash grinned tauntingly. "How do you know he's not hiding in the shadows, waiting to ambush you?"

"I've got electrical readings on every lifeform in the immediate vicinity," Eggman sneered. "You and I are the only ones here, and Zapdos, of course."

 _Dang it!_ Ash cursed. _Guess that bluff didn't work._ "Okay, you got me there," he conceded.

"You're helpless," the doctor chuckled malevolently. "No blue hedgehog is going to save you now, you brat. You're all alone!" With that, Zapdos leered down at him, energy crackling in its wings.

 _Alone_ a voice in his head whispered. _All alone. No father, no mother...all alone…_

"He's not alone, you devil!"

The other two froze on hearing the voice. "Huh?" Ash said.

"Oh no," Eggman whimpered, looking at something in his pod.

Suddenly, a ball of energy erupted from the shadows and slammed into Zapdos, knocking him to the side.

"Ash will never be alone!" came the voice again. "Not as long as I'm here!" Then, the voice's owner walked out, revealing herself and her Pokemon.

"Dawn!" Ash exclaimed, a smile emerging on his face.

"Hi Ash!" Dawn said, rushing up to him and hugging him, with Togekiss in tow. "Great to see you again!" She pulled away and looked him over. "Are you hurt? Did Zapdos harm you?"

"No," he shook his head with a chuckle. "I'm fine for now. Zapdos didn't get a chance to do anything before you showed up." He looked at the recovering bird. "That was an impressive Air Slash by the way," he said.

"Thanks!" Dawn smiled.

"Grrrr," Eggman growled. "I was wondering what those other two electrical waveforms were. No matter. You're pathetic Flying-type is no match for the might of Zapdos. Zapdos! Zap Cannon! Now!"

" _Gyaaaaaaaaaaa!_ " Zapdos roared, unleashing an electrical ball of energy. However, it charged it so slowly that Ash and Dawn had only to walk to the side to avoid it.

"What?" Eggman said.

"Leave battling to the Pokemon trainers," Dawn taunted him with a wink. "Don't you know about Zap Cannon's abysmally low accuracy?"

"Why, you blue-haired, song-singing brat!" he growled. "How dare you insult me! Zapdos! Attack her with Drill Peck!"

"Uh-oh," Ash said. "I guess he did some research."

"Togekiss!" Dawn called. "Counter that with Safeguard!"

" _Mooouuuuuuuuaaaaaaaaa_!" Togekiss cried, erecting a protective shield of energy to block Zapdos' attack. The shield exploded, and the Pokemon got knocked back. Zapdos quickly recovered, while Togekiss needed a moment to catch its breath.

"I don't think Togekiss will be able to match blows with Zapdos," Ash warned Dawn. "Zapdos is much stronger."

"It doesn't have to," Dawn said. "We just need to buy ourselves some time."

"Time?"

"Yes. I called the police to apprehend Eggman. He's taken things too far this time!" She looked angry by the time she finished.

"Oh, I'm not even finished yet, brat!" Eggman sneered. "And don't waste your time trying to capture me. Zapdos! Drill Peck again!"

" _Kyyaaaaaaa_!" Zapdos cried, attacking Dawn. Togekiss defended against the attack with another Safeguard, meeting the same result as before. This time around, however, Togekiss didn't get back up.

"Now we're in trouble," Dawn said, her confidence disappearing. "What do we do? I only had Togekiss out because I brought it out outside of the electric interference."

"You're history, brats!" Eggman shouted. "Zapdos! Zap Cannon! NOW!"

Zapdos began charging energy once again. Before it could unleash its power, however, a sudden blue streak slammed through one of its wings.

"What?!" Eggman exclaimed.

"Attacking helpless foes? Even I'm shocked, Eggman!"

Ash and Dawn's smiles returned. "It's Sonic!" they exclaimed in unison.

"GAH!" Eggman cursed. "Why do you always have to ruin my plans at the _exact_ moment they're coming to?!"

"The _exact_ moment?" Sonic blinked. "I didn't realize you were so far along in this one. Guess I came just in time, huh?"  
"That's what he said," Ash shrugged.

"Ha! Well, it doesn't matter," Eggman sneered. "If Deedee's Toge-smooch still had any juice in it, I'd be worried. But you can't stop the might of Zapdos on your own, Sonic! This time, you're going down!"

"Grrrrrr," a thoroughly incensed Dawn growled. "BEAT HIM DOWN, SONIC!"

"Whoaaa!" Sonic exclaimed, shocked by her outburst. "Okay! Sheesh...what got into her?"

"Eggman pushed her berserk button," Ash shivered. "A terrible idea, really."

"Zapdos!" Eggman commanded the bird. "Drill Peck!"

Zapdos obeyed and attacked Sonic. Predictably, Sonic easily evaded the attack and began running around, taunting the doctor and his powerful Pokemon. "Too slow!" he said, running backwards on the wall. "Is that all you got?"

"You irritating hedgehog!" Eggman retorted. "I'll get you for that! Zapdos! Thunderbolt!"

Zapdos unleashed a powerful bolt of energy. Sonic laughed and jumped to the side, avoiding it.

"Just as I predicted," Eggman sneered to himself. "Now, Zapdos! Use Thunder Wave!"

As Sonic landed, Zapdos unleashed a weak wave of electricity that struck the hedgehog, stopping him in his tracks and leaving him stuck in a contorted position. "What?!" Sonic exclaimed.

"Oh no!" Ash said. "He's been paralyzed!"

"Now we're finished," Dawn moaned.

"Ha ha ha!" Eggman roared. "Now, Zapdos! Finish him off! ZAP CANNON!"

Zapdos obeyed and charged a powerful electric blast. Ash looked at Sonic desperately. "Sonic!" he called. "You've got to break free! If Zapdos gets you, it's game over for us all!"

"Nnnngh!" Sonic said, trying to break out.

"It's too late!" Dawn said.

"Finally," Eggman sneered. No one noticed the stone around Ash's neck glowing progressively brighter.

"Come on," Sonic said. "I gotta stop him."

"SONIC!" Ash screamed just as Zapdos unleashed his powerful blast.

It was a direct hit. The resulting explosion forced everyone else to cover their eyes from the dust and energy flying around. "No," Ash whispered. "Come on, Sonic. I know you're not finished yet. Come on. Let's get this done!"

At that moment, Ash felt a strange energy surge through his being. His eyes shot open, immune to the dust and glowing brightly. "What?" he said. "What is this? I feel...stronger...more powerful…"

"What is this?" Sonic said, as the same power also affected him. "This is...incredible...it's like...the Chaos Emerald…"

As the dust cleared, Sonic stepped forward, his form obscured by the dust storm so Eggman couldn't see him. "Still got more fight in you after that, eh?" Eggman sneered at him. "Give it up. You're no match for Zapdos!"

"You're right," Sonic said. "I'm not."

"But _we_ are!" Ash shouted.

"What?!" Eggman and Dawn said at the same time.

Then the dust cleared, revealing Sonic's form. To everyone's shock, he'd changed. Though he retained his blue fur and quills, many things about him had changed. On the top-most spike, a red stripe had appeared, much like the ones Shadow sported on his quills. On some of the lower quills on Sonic's head, similar stripes appeared, black in color. These quills arced upward like Shadow's. His eyes, meanwhile, changed from their natural emerald green to a golden hue. Red wristbands appeared on his gloves, and the spikes on his back stuck out more.

"W-What?" Eggman stammered.

"Sonic," Dawn breathed. "What's happened to you?"  
"I don't know," Sonic grinned. "But I can feel a new kind of power surging through me."

"I feel it, too," Ash grinned. "Now let's see if we can use this power to take down a legend!"

"Don't waste your time," Eggman growled. "You can't defeat Zapdos. Nothing can!"

"There's only one way to find out," Sonic smirked. With that, he curled into a ball and, after spinning in place a moment, shot forward at a blinding speed and slammed into Zapdos, knocking it into the wall.

"GAH!" Eggman exclaimed in shock. "How did he do that?!"

"Wow! That's incredible!" Ash cried in glee.

"Zapdos, you fool!" Eggman roared. "Destroy him! Thunder Wave, NOW!"

" _Grahhhhhhhhh_!" Zapdos roared, unleashing the wave against Sonic. Though it hit him, he shrugged it off and attacked Zapdos once again, smashing its beak with a kick. Then he leapt into the air, slammed face-first into Zapdos' stomach, and began spinning the bird around in midair before rocketing towards the ground. The resulting impact unleashed a massive wave of dust that forced everyone to cover their eyes.

When the dust settled, Zapdos was knocked out, with Sonic standing on top of him.

"What–" Eggman blinked in absolute shock. "This...This is impossible! You can't possibly have done that!"

"I didn't," Sonic grinned.

" _We_ did," Ash mirrored him, as they walked to each other and fist-bumped.

"You," Eggman growled. "YOU'LL PAY FOR THIS!" With that, he flew away, cursing and screaming in rage.

"Unbelievable," Ash said, looking Sonic over. "It's just like whenever Greninja and I synchronize."

"It feels incredible," Sonic said. "It's almost like I'm becoming you."

"And _I'm_ becoming _you_!" Ash agreed.

"Wow!" Dawn breathed, eyes sparkling. "I'd heard about you and Greninja, Ash, but I didn't believe it until I saw this!"

"Pretty cool, huh?" Ash winked.

"Ash! Sonic!"

They turned on hearing the familiar voice. "Tails!" Sonic exclaimed. "Great timing!"

"Whoa, Sonic!" Tails exclaimed. "What happened to you?"

"I'm actually trying to figure that out myself," he shrugged. "Suppose we talk about it on the Tornado NX. Or did Eggman shoot it down?"  
"Nope! It's in great shape! We just landed over here. Come on!" With that, they went away, while Sonic slowly reverted back to his normal form.

* * *

 _This...this can't be. How could a pathetic human tap into that kind of power?_

 _There's only one option, now. I have no choice. Ash Ketchum must die, and I must kill him._


	21. Chapter 21

Chapter 21: Alone

"Extraordinary!" Cynthia breathed when Sonic finished telling his story. They were on the Tornado once again. "You and Ash must have tapped into the Gaia energy to achieve a form of synchronization!"

"It was just like what happens with me and Greninja," Ash nodded. "It may take time to get experienced with this new form."

"Nothing I can't handle," Sonic smirked, folding his arms confidently.

"It was so cool!" Dawn squealed, barely staying still. "I didn't know what to think about those stories I heard about Ash and Greninja until I saw Sonic do the same thing!"

"Calm down, will ya?" Serena muttered. "You're going to knock this plane out of the air at this rate!"

"Relax, Serena," Iris grinned. "She's not even getting out of her seat."

"Hm," Serena hummed, eyeing Dawn warily.

"So with the emerald Ash got, that makes three," Tails said. "Our next stop is in Hoenn."

"Hoenn, hm?" Ash mused with a small smile. "Then I think I'll drop myself off at Petalburg City."  
"You sure you want to do that, Ash?" Knuckles asked him. "The last time you could've gotten killed. We really don't know what we're up against, here. You could get hurt."

"I know," Ash nodded, a more serious expression on his face. "But I need to see Norman and Caroline. They're probably worried sick about May, so I'm going to let them know that she's okay."

"I doubt they need that reassurance," Serena muttered.

"What?"

"Er, I mean," Serena stammered when he glared lightly at her, "they probably know she's in safe hands with you. You're always putting your friends' safety above your own. Why should they worry?"

"May's their daughter," Ash replied. "If something were to happen to her, it wouldn't matter what I did. I need to let them know that May is safe."

"Aren't you worried you'll get hurt?" Serena asked.

"I'll be fine."

"But what about –?"

"No!" Ash said firmly. "My mind is made up. I'm going to Petalburg as soon as we fly over it. Don't try to stop me."

Serena blinked, surprised by his change in tone, then sat back. "Okay," she said quietly.

"Don't worry about Ash, Serena," Bonnie chimed in. "He's going to be a-okay! Right, Ash?"

"Right!" he grinned.

"Well, if you're going to go, then you'd better gear up," Sonic said. "We're coming up on Petalburg pretty quickly, now."

"Okay, then," Ash nodded, strapping himself up before going to the door. "Here I go. Come find me over here when you land, okay?"

"You know it!" Tails grinned.

"Great!" Ash mirrored his grin. With that, he leapt out and began falling towards Petalburg City.

* * *

"WHAAAAAT?!" Team Rocket said in unison.

"Do I need to repeat myself again?" Eggman growled.

"N-No," Jessie said, waving her hands in front of her. "We heard you the first time."

"We're just shocked, that's all," James followed suit.

"Great, just great!" Meowth grumbled. "As if it wasn't bad enough to deal with Twerp-Greninja, now we gotta deal with Twerp-Sonic, too! That's like twerp squared! How many twerps does that equal? Hm, let's see," he began counting on his paws. "Two twerps combine, and the twerpishness gets squared. The degree of twerpishness gets doubled for the main twerp, but not for Sonic, which means the final result –"

"What kind of math are you doing?" Eggman asked, staring at him blankly, as did Jessie and James.

"Quiet! I'm concentrating!" Meowth snapped. "Now let's see…"

"While Meowth provides 'help,'" Jessie muttered, "I think it would do us well to know the next step in our plan."

"Chill out, Jessie," Eggman sneered. "I've already got it underway. This time, Sonic won't stop me, twerpish or not."

"Anyone know calculus?" Meowth asked. Everyone sweatdropped.

* * *

Ash safely landed in Petalburg City, disconnected his parachute, and extended his arm out so Pikachu could land on his shoulder. Pikachu's parachute also disconnected.

"Whew!" Ash said. "So far, so good."

" _Pikachu_."

"All we gotta do now is find May's house. Any idea where it is?"

" _Pika_ ," Pikachu shrugged. Ash put his hand on his chin and started to think.

"Oh! I know!" he lit up. "We'll go to the gym! Their house isn't far from there."

" _Pikachu_ ," Pikachu agreed.

As they walked through town, Ash smiled. "You know, I love travelling with our friends, but sometimes it's nice to just be alone for a bit, you know?"

" _Pikachu_."

"Yeah," he said, scratching him behind the ears.

" _Chaaaaaa_!" Pikachu squealed in glee. Ash laughed.

"Just you and me, on our own," he said.

 _Alone. There is nowhere for you to go. Alone._

Ash froze. "Huh? Who's there?"

 _No father, no mother, no brother, no sister._

Ash shivered. "That voice...it's the same one I heard when we fought Zapdos."

" _Pikachu_?" Pikachu asked in concern.

"Can you hear it, Pikachu?" he asked his Pokemon. Pikachu shook his head. "Then that means it's just...me?"

 _Only you...all alone...lost...broken…_

"W-Who are you?"

 _Betrayed._

"AUGH!" Ash screamed, suddenly clutching his head and collapsing onto his knees. He shuddered violently and involuntarily threw Pikachu off his shoulder. The Pokemon tumbled before getting up and rushing over to Ash.

" _Pikapi_!" Pikachu cried, shaking his trainer.

"Ungh," Ash grunted after a moment. "I'm...fine. Oh, man," he moaned, standing up while Pikachu hopped on his shoulder again. "That was terrifying. This voice started talking in my head, then this awful pain shot through my head, and then it all vanished like it didn't happen."

" _Piiikaaaa_ ," Pikachu shivered.

"I'll be fine," he said. "At least I'm pretty sure I will. Come on. We need to find that gym." With that, they set out to finish their task. A short time later, they found it.

"Well, here we are, Pikachu," he said. "I sure hope Norman and Caroline won't be too mad at me for what happened. You think they'll get mad?"

Pikachu shook his head and gave an affirmative thumbs-up.

"Thanks buddy," he said. "Okay, let's get – GUH!"

" _Pika_?!" Pikachu exclaimed. Ash was clutching his stomach, as though he'd been stabbed.

"What...no, not again!" he cried weakly.

 _All alone…_

"Ugh, no!" he screamed. "Go away!"

 _Lost…_

"Unnnneghhhh...Nnnnnnnggh!" Ash groaned as he fell to his knees again, still clutching his stomach.

" _Pikapi_!" Pikachu cried in fear.

 _Broken…_

"Pikachu!" Ash said. "Go! Get Norman and Caroline! I...can't...move!"

The poor frightened Pokemon shook his head, insisting he would stay at Ash's side.

"Pikachu...go...now…"

 _Betrayed._

Ash completely collapsed as he fell unconscious. Horrified, Pikachu ran to the gym, crying out for help.


	22. Chapter 22

Chapter 22: The Messenger

"How did this happen?"

"I don't know. We'll have to wait for him to wake up."

"Oh, I hope he's okay. Ah, look! His eyes!"

"Hm?"

"He's waking up! Oh, thank goodness!"

"Huh?" Ash blinked groggily as blurry light filled his eyes. "Unh...what...happened?"

"Oh, you poor thing. Are you sick?"

"Uhh," he groaned, his eyes slowly adjusting. After a moment, he saw a familiar face looking down at him fearfully. "Caroline?"

"Yes, it's me," Caroline nodded. "Pikachu informed us you were sick. What happened? Are you all right?"  
"I...feel fine," Ash said, slowly sitting up. As his shirt pulled off the sheets, he cringed. His whole body was covered in sweat, his clothes drenched and pasted to his skin. "Guh! What...happened to me?"

"Seems you got hit with a fever of sorts," a male voice said. "You're burning up."

"Norman," Ash said, acknowledging the gym leader.

"Do you feel sick?" Caroline asked again.

"No, I feel fine," he replied.

"No dizziness? Nausea? Headache? Anything?"

"No," he shook his head. "I guess I was just having a horrible nightmare, that's all. I landed in Petalburg looking for you guys, and then this voice starts talking in my head. Next thing I know, this awful pain comes from out of nowhere and knocks me out!"

"Is that right?" Norman raised an eyebrow. "That sounds...skeptical, if you ask me."

"Well, it's the truth," Ash said. "Makes me a little nervous."

"If you're feeling all right," Caroline said, "perhaps you should wash up."

"Yeah," Ash said, standing on his feet and looking in the mirror. "Goodness, I look awful!"

"The shower's open if you want it," Norman gestured out the room.

"Thanks," Ash nodded, and made his way over.

* * *

After Tails landed in Slateport City, Sonic and Hoopa took off running to catch up with Ash. Meanwhile, the rest of the growing crew decided to spend time in Slateport stocking up on supplies.

"Say, Tails," Dawn asked as they walked down a grocery aisle, "where do you think the next Chaos Emerald is?"

"Hm…" Tails mused, pulling out his radar. "Let's see. I wasn't able to check earlier because we were still so far away from Hoenn, but now I think I'll be able to locate it." After pulling up a map of Hoenn, a red dot began blinking. "There it is. It appears to be located at Mt. Pyre."

"Mt. Pyre?" Dawn raised an eyebrow. "Isn't that a place where dead Pokemon are laid to rest?"

"Looks like it," Tails nodded. "It used to be where the Red and Blue orbs were protected."

"I see," Dawn said as she grabbed a bag of chips off the shelf. "Then that will be our next destination."

"Right," Tails said. "Once we're all back together, that is. Right now, let's focus on what we need."

"You got it," Dawn agreed with a wink. They continued their shopping, unaware of a hidden figure watching them from afar.

"Isn't that Dawn?" he wondered to himself. "Is she looking for the Chaos Emeralds, too?"

* * *

When Ash finished his shower, he quickly dried himself up before grabbing his clothes. However, when he took a moment to smell them, he cringed and threw them to the side. He dug through his backpack and came across a sleeveless blue hoodie. A nostalgic smile crossed his face, and he slowly got dressed.

As soon as he finished dressing, he heard the doorbell ring. "That must be Sonic," he thought. He quickly went out and dashed down the stairs, only to trip in his haste and fall down the stairs, flat on his face.

"Ash!?" Caroline exclaimed.

"What on earth?!" Norman also exclaimed.

"Whoops," Ash mumbled, his face still in the ground. "Sorry. Guess I got a little carried away." He pushed himself up and shook his head, reorienting himself. "Were you getting the door?"

"Ah, yes," Caroline said. "I wonder who it could be." She opened the door and found a surprising but welcome face.

"Max?!" Norman and Ash exclaimed at the same time.

"Hey Mom. Hey Dad. What's new?" the young trainer asked, adjusting his glasses.

* * *

Not far from Petalburg City, a Togekiss began descending on Petalburg Woods. It made its way into the trees, then landed, dropping off a passenger.

"Whew!" she said, adjusting her bandana. "Thanks for the lift, Togekiss. I'll return you to Dawn as soon as we meet up again."

" _Kiii_ ," the Pokemon smiled, rubbing against her before returning to her Pokeball. The bandana-clad brunette smiled and looked around before framing her fingers in front of her face like a camera as she walked.

"This week, on May's Expeditions, we find our heroine lost in a deep, dark forest. With only her Pokemon and a handful of supplies to aid her, this adventure is sure to take its toll on her. Will she make it?"

Of course, May was already near the edge of the forest, so she quickly got out. The late afternoon sun shone brightly, heat boring down on her. She wiped her forehead with a small handkerchief, soaking it in sweat.

 _You little pest._

She stopped a moment, blinking. _Did I hear something?_ she thought. After a moment, she shrugged and kept going.

 _You will not escape._

She stopped again. _Okay, this time I know I heard something_ she thought. "Who's there?" she said. "There isn't much space to hide in an open field, you know."

 _Foolish girl_ the voice sneered. Suddenly, something appeared in front of her as though it had been invisible before: a hooded figure, seemingly faceless, stood before her, a dark aura cloaking it.

"Huh?" May said, wondering what this meant. "Who are you?"

 _Hmhmhmhmhm_ the figure chuckled darkly. _The darkness whispers in your ear, does it not?_

"Um...I'm pretty sure that was you talking," she replied, puzzled.

 _Yes_ the figure said. _I am of the darkness, and I belong to it, but I am not the darkness. All that you see before you belongs to the darkness._

"Uh-huh," she nodded. "And what exactly is this 'darkness?'"

 _Hmhmhmhmhm_ the figure chuckled again, more sinisterly this time. _You have already seen it. Your friend the hedgehog is a part of it._

"The hedgehog?" May repeated to herself. "You mean Shadow? Hm...he was practically named after it." Then it hit her. "No, wait! You must mean Sonic!"

 _Clever girl_ the figure sneered. _A part of the darkness became one with him when the doctor split the planet apart. It manifests itself only in its native element, though._

"Then you know about him," she said.

 _Yes. Indeed, I have been watching you all from the moment you set out to recover the Chaos Emeralds. You cannot escape my gaze._

May shivered. "That's unsettling," she said. "What do you want with the Chaos Emeralds?"

 _What? The emeralds? Pah! I have no need for those pathetic gemstones._

"Right," she nodded. "But the darkness does, right?"  
 _Fool! You think the desires of the darkness are not also my desires? I told you, did I not, that I am of the darkness? What the darkness desires is what I desire, and what the darkness does not desire is what I do not desire._

May blinked. "Are you a puppet?"

 _No_ the figure growled. _I am simply a messenger, the Messenger of Darkness, and I have come to deliver a message to you: the darkness has promised your life to me._

"What?!" May exclaimed.

 _Hehahahaha!_ the Messenger snarled in laughter. _Yes. But you need not worry yourselves, petty Princess of Hoenn. I shall not take your life until the time is right. It makes little matter though._ The dark aura surrounding the mysterious Messenger began to envelop it. _YOUR DAYS ARE NUMBERED._

"No! Stop! Wait!" May cried in vain as the Messenger disappeared into darkness, maniacally laughing all the while. She held herself close as a chilling breeze blew past. "The darkness...promised my life to that creep?" She blinked. "But why?"

The sound of a Pokeball releasing its Pokemon snapped her out of her thoughts. " _Nyaa_!"

"Ah! Skitty!" she groaned, pulling out her ball. "Get back in there." She recalled it, put the ball away, then looked up. "Well, I guess I better get home. Max probably already got ahead of me." With that, she set out.

* * *

 _Run as fast as you want, you foolish girl. I want you to live as long as possible, that I may prolong your suffering as you have prolonged ours! Yes...the darkness suffers because of the light of your eyes...it cringes at the way you look at life…_

 _And it roars in agony at the way you love. But no more! Soon, yes,_ VERY _soon...you will BURN._


	23. Chapter 23

Chapter 23: An Unexpected Reunion

"Four badges already?" Ash exclaimed as Max told him about his latest adventures.

"That's right," Max said, sipping his chocolate milk while stroking Pikachu, who slept in his lap. "It took some hard work for that third badge, but I remembered some of your strategies and decided to try them out. They really worked!"

"Awesome!" Ash grinned.

"So, what brings you here, Ash?" Max asked.

"Well," Ash started with a smile, but as he remembered what he came here to tell them, his expression fell.

"Ash?" Caroline said, raising an eyebrow. "Is everything okay?"

"Uh," he started again, but before he could tell them what happened, the doorbell rang again. "Who could that be?"

"I'll get it," Caroline said, getting up and going to the door. "Oh my!"

"Hi Mom," a feminine voice said.

"May, what are you doing here?!"

"May?" Ash whispered.

"Max told me he was coming home to surprise you guys with a visit, so I decided to do the same."

"Come in, come in!" Caroline said. A moment later, she returned to the family room with the bandana-clad brunette following close behind.

"May!" Ash cried, leaping up.

"Ash?" she said in surprise. He ran up to her and hugged her tightly; she gladly returned the embrace. "What are you doing here?" she asked.

"I was going to tell your parents what happened back in Lumiose City," he said. "I didn't realize you'd recovered so quickly."

She pulled out a bit, giving him a cheeky grin. "They said I needed a week, remember?"

"What's this all about?" Norman asked, his face confused and serious.

"I know, but," Ash started, then he shrugged and smiled. "I guess I didn't notice how fast time flew while we were out and about."

"That happens when you get to be our age," she smiled at him. They chuckled and embraced once again. "I'm glad you're okay too, Ash."

"Same here," he said.

"I'm glad you're both okay," Norman nodded, folding his arms sternly. "But could you inform me of exactly what happened in Lumiose City?"

"Oh!" Ash and May exclaimed, pulling out of their embrace, although they kept an arm around each other. "I can explain," they both said at the same time.

Caroline just laughed. "Oh, you two," she giggled. "So in sync...it's no wonder you fell in love with each other!"

"You said it," May chuckled.

"In all seriousness, though," Ash said, "we had a bit of an accident." With that, he recounted what happened in Lumiose City to May's family.

* * *

It didn't take long for Sonic to arrive in Petalburg City. The distance to there from Slateport was practically nothing. But when he got there, he had a little problem.

"Where would Baseball Head be right now?" he wondered.

"He said he'd be going to see his girlfriend's family, right?" Hoopa said from his shadow.

"I know that," Sonic replied. "But where exactly do they live?"

"Sonic!"

He stopped when he heard the familiar female voice. "Uh-oh. I think I'd better –"

Too late. A pink hedgehog ran up and hugged him from behind. "Oh, Sonic, I'm so glad to see you!" she said. "It's been a long time, hasn't it?"

"Uh, yeah," Sonic muttered, pulling away. "What are you doing in Petalburg, Amy?"

"Huh? Oh! There's a shelter downtown for abandoned Pokemon. But when that massive earthquake struck, it got severely damaged, along with several other buildings. So I've been helping them get back on their feet."

"Really?" Sonic said, genuinely impressed. "Wow, that's great!"

"They need all the help they can get," Amy said. "Would you like to lend a hand?"

"I'd love to," Sonic replied, "but I'm a little busy at the moment."

"Typical Sonic," Amy giggled. "You're always busy. Why don't you take a break for once?"

"Actually, I'm always on break," he said, folding his arms with a smug look. "Saving the world is a regular pastime."

"And what exactly are you saving the world from this time?" Amy asked, playfully glaring at him with her hands on her hips.

Sonic opened his mouth to speak, but no words came out, as a sudden realization hit him. "Actually," he said, getting a little more serious, "I don't know what we're saving the world from."

"Huh?" Amy said, confused.

"At first I thought we were just thwarting another one of Eggman's schemes. But the more we fight him, the more I see something else is involved. I don't know what it is, though."

"That's odd," Amy said.

"It is," Sonic agreed. "And that's why I need to find Baseball Head. We're on a tight schedule here."

"Ash?" Amy said. "He's in town?"

"Yeah," Sonic nodded. "He said he was visiting his girlfriend's family. The problem is, I don't know where that is."

"Oh, I do!" Amy exclaimed.

"Oh?" Sonic raised an eyebrow (or whatever he had) uncertainly. "And what do I need to do for you if you show me where it is?"

"Huh?"

"You're always asking me to marry you in return for helping me. Are you going to do that again?"

"Oh!" Amy said, putting her hand on her chin. "No, I wasn't thinking of it."

Sonic blinked in surprise. "Really?"

"Really really," she nodded.

"Oh."

"Anyway, follow me!" Amy said, rushing off. Sonic shrugged to himself and ran after her.

* * *

"Oh, my poor sweet May!" Caroline wailed as she held her embarrassed daughter tightly after Ash finished his story.

"Mom, I'm fine, really," May replied with a deadpan expression.

"I find it hard to believe that the machine landed just right to prevent any serious injury," Norman mused, arms folded.

"I was just as shocked as you were," Ash said. "I thought she'd be seriously injured, too."

"I guess luck was on your side then, huh?" Max smiled softly.

"Yeah, it was," May said as she wriggled out of her mother's embrace.

"I'm so sorry I put your daughter through all this," Ash apologized. "It was very irresponsible of me and –"

"Now now," Norman chuckled, holding his hand up to stop Ash. "There's no need for apology."

"Huh?" Ash blinked.

"None of this was your fault, Ash. You couldn't have seen it coming." Norman smiled slightly as he put his hand on Ash's shoulder. "But I appreciate your taking responsibility. You've grown into a fine young man, Ash Ketchum, and I can't think of anyone better suited to take care of my daughter."

Ash was taken aback by Norman's words, but after a moment he smiled. "Thank you, Norman," he said. "I appreciate your understanding." He picked up his backpack, which he'd laid to the side. "Well, that's all I came here to say. I should probably go now."

"Leaving so soon?" Caroline said. "Why don't you stay awhile?"

"Gee, I'd love to," Ash smiled, "but unfortunately, Eggman's got a devilish scheme up his sleeve. I'm helping Sonic and friends to stop him."

"I see," Norman nodded. "Another average day for you?"

"You could say that," Ash laughed, along with everyone else.

"Well, what are we waiting for?" May grinned, pumping her fist. "Let's go!"

"Whoa, hold it!" Ash said, putting his hands out. "What are you doing, May?"

May blinked. "I'm coming with you, of course," she replied, confused.

Ash shook his head. "I'd rather you not, May."

She frowned slightly. "Why not?"

"You already suffered one injury, and we're extremely lucky it wasn't serious. I couldn't bear to see you get hurt again."

May folded her arms, frowning. "Ash, you know I'm not going to just sit by idly while you go on an adventure without me," she said.

"I know, but," he said, "it's dangerous out there. I don't know what will happen."

There was silence for a moment. Then, May let her arms down, walked up to him and hugged him. "Did you know what would happen when you first started your journey?" she asked so everyone could hear. "Did you know what would happen when we first started travelling together? I know I didn't. And yet here we are now, in a place we never knew we would be." She pulled out and looked at him longingly. "There's no telling what will happen, Ash. That's why it's an adventure. And whether you want me to or not, I'm coming with you."

Ash looked at her, standing still for a moment because of her touching words. "I...I guess you're right. Just...promise me you won't get yourself hurt."  
"I'll do my best," she smiled. Then she turned to her family, specifically her brother. "What about you, Max? Wanna join us?"

"Really? You mean it, sis?!" Max said, a grin bursting on his face.

"It'd be just like old times," she nodded.

"I'd love to!" Max cheered, leaping up and running up to them. "This is going to be awesome!"

"Sure is," Ash smiled, then his face turned serious. "But it's also going to be very dangerous. Are you sure you want to put yourself at risk?"

"Pft! Bring it on!" Max smirked, adjusting his glasses. "I faced so many dangers when I travelled with you, why should I worry?"

"That's the spirit!" Ash fist-pumped. "I don't suppose your parents will be upset, will they?"

Caroline shook her head with a mother's smile. "Go on, get out of here," she said, waving her hand.

"Stay safe out there," Norman nodded in succession.

"Great!" Ash said. "Thanks, Norman and Caroline! We'll come back soon, I promise!"

"Bye!" May and Max waved as they went out the door, leaving the parents behind.

"They grow up so fast," Caroline smiled to herself. "Isn't it wonderful?"

"Yes, it is," Norman agreed.

* * *

A large battleship slowly floated over Mt. Pyre. Who was at the helm? I think it should be obvious.

"So this is Mt. Pyre, is it?" Eggman sneered.

"That's right!" Meowth grinned. "This is where a Chaos Emerald is!"

"Excellent," Eggman sneered. "We can snatch the emerald and throw Sonic and company off our trail while I finally construct Eggmanland!"

"But where are you going to construct it?" James asked.

"We need to find somewhere where the twerps won't find us," Jessie said.

"And I know just where to go," Eggman sneered.

"Where?" Team Rocket asked.

Eggman just chuckled. "The Ferrum region."


	24. Chapter 24

Chapter 24: The Moon's Watchful Eye

Shortly after Ash, May and Max left the gym, Sonic and Amy arrived there, only to be told, much to their annoyance, that their friends were already gone.

"Go figure," Sonic muttered. "For once, he's faster than I am."

"And that's fast," Amy mused. "You haven't been smooching any humans again, have you?"

"WHAT?!" Sonic exclaimed in a panicked voice.

"Yeah, the last time you did that, you seemed to be extremely sluggish. Hey, are you all right? Why's your eye twitching?"

"AMYYYYYYY," Sonic growled, suddenly looking very menacing as he cartoonishly leered over her. "I TOLD YOU, WE NEVER TALK ABOUT THAT. IT NEVER HAPPENED." Amy leaned back, surprised by yet apparently unafraid of Sonic's sudden change in demeanor.

"Sonic? Amy?"

"AH!" the two of them jumped and turned their backs to each other, complete with rapid-fire denials of, "Nope, not me, I didn't say anything."

"What exactly were you two doing?" May asked. Ash had his eyebrow raised, while Pikachu had his head cocked to the side.

"Nothing!" they said in unison.

"So, uh…" Ash started, "are we going to go back to Slateport, or what?"

"Oh, yeah!" Sonic said, rubbing his head awkwardly. "Sure, let's go!"

"Ash! Sonic!"

"Huh?" everyone said, turning as a familiar honey-blonde ran up to them.

"Hey, isn't that Serena?" Max wondered.

"Didn't you say she was back in Slateport, Sonic?" Amy asked.

When Serena caught up with them, she stopped. "Did you finish out here? Tails is getting anxious to get the emerald from Mt. Pyre. We need to get going."

"Hey, relax Serena," Ash grinned, putting a reassuring hand out. "We're all good here. We were just getting ready to come back." His grin faded, replaced by a confused expression. "But what are you doing here?"

"Uh," Serena stammered, "I was getting worried about you. I thought maybe something happened. But you're okay!" she grinned cheekily. Ash and May exchanged a glance, and May just shrugged.

"Right," Ash nodded, not buying her explanation. "Well, let's get going."

"That may be a bad idea," Serena said, pointing to the sky. Everyone looked and saw, to their dismay, that the sun was setting. "We'd be going by night."

"Hm," Ash mused, putting his chin in his hand. "What's the problem with that?"

"I don't see any problem," Amy shrugged.

"Well, it _can_ be dangerous," Sonic said. "Our enemies seem to thrive in darkness. I, on the other hand, do not."

"What do you mean by that?" Max asked.

"I'll show you later," Sonic replied. "Right now, I agree with Amy. If we get back to Slateport by morning, we'll arrive at Mt. Pyre before tomorrow is done."

"Then it's settled," Ash nodded. "Let's go." With Pikachu's agreement, everyone began walking except Serena, who still looked worried.

"But," she said, "it's scary in the dark. Wouldn't it be better to wait for the light?"

May stopped on hearing this and walked back to her, puzzled. "Why are you so paranoid?" she asked, out of earshot from everyone else. "It's not like none of us have travelled by night before. We'll be fine. Come on." She grabbed her hand and pulled her along, only for Serena to slap her hand rather harshly before glaring at her in anger.

"I have nothing to say to you, you ugly piece of FILTH!" she snarled.

May stepped back in shock. "Serena!" she said, rubbing her wrist.

Ahead of them, Pikachu looked back from Ash's shoulder and noticed the girls were behind. He tapped him on the head. "Huh?" he said, turning around to see his friends behind him. "Hm. Hey, Sonic, wait here, okay? I think something's up."

"Oh?" Sonic replied.

"Oh boy," Amy said, knowing what was going on. "Here we go."

Ash walked up to his female companions. "Is something the matter?"

"No, nothing," Serena shook her head innocently. "You're right. We'll go by night." Then she walked away abruptly.

"What was that?" Ash asked.

"I don't know," May shook her head, still in shock. "I knew she didn't like me because you chose me over her, but...I've never seen her act so vicious before!"

"What?" Ash exclaimed, eyes lined with concern. "What happened?"

"I think I'll tell you later," May sighed. "We need to get moving."

"Okay," Ash nodded, and they started walking. However, no one in the group noticed a dark figure standing on a roof, arms folded across his chest as usual. He'd seen everything that happened.

"You're right, May," he said. "Serena's never acted like that before." His arms fell to his sides. "Ash's falling in love with May must've hurt Serena more than I thought. If Serena only gets worse from here on out, I'll have to directly intervene. I won't let anyone – and I mean _anyone_ – hurt May." He looked to the sky, his crimson eyes glinting as the sun fell below the horizon.

"She's all I have left of Maria."

* * *

"Whoa!" Max exclaimed.

"Waugh!" Amy cried.

"I know, I know," Sonic, now a werehog, mumbled. "I don't know why this happens, but when the moon comes out, I turn into this. We're keeping our eyes peeled for a cure, but nothing's come up yet."

"Yikes!" Amy shivered. "You're scaring me!"

"Sorry, Amy," he sighed. "I don't like it, either."

They continued to walk along, with Ash and May in the rear. "I wonder if there's even a cure at all," Ash mused.

"Huh?" May said.

" _Pi_?"

"When the sun comes up, Sonic returns to his natural form. When the moon is out, he becomes this monster. How do you cure that kind of condition?"

"Hm," May pondered, putting her finger on her chin. "Well, if light makes him normal while darkness makes him abnormal, could you possibly fill him up with light? That would cure him."

"How would you do that, though?" Ash muttered. "Seems to me the answer is to expel the darkness."

"And how do you get rid of darkness?" May asked.

"With light."

"Bingo," May winked. "But you're right. How _would_ we do that?"

Ash sighed. "I guess it's beyond our power," he said. "Let's just hope for the best."

" _Pika_ ," Pikachu sighed.

After that, there was silence for a while. Then Ash spoke again. "I don't think Serena's listening. What happened back there?"

"Hm?"

"You know, with you and Serena," he said. "You said she acted more vicious than ever."

"Oh, yeah," May said, becoming somber. "She was nervous about travelling in the dark, so I took her hand to reassure her and bring her along. Then she slapped my hand and called me an ugly piece of filth!"

"What?!" Ash cried loud enough for the others to hear. They turned back, puzzled. "Huh?" he said. "Oh, it's nothing! May just said something about some hard rocks, that's all!" he waved his hands in front of his face dismissively.

The others blinked, then shrugged as they continued walking. "Hard rocks?" May looked at him with a deadpan expression. "That's the best you could come up with? I hope you realize the implications of what you said."

"What? What did I – DOH!" he said, facepalming as he realized what she meant. "Sorry."

" _Pika_ ," Pikachu also facepalmed.

"It's okay," she smiled. "I know you didn't mean it."

"Thanks," he nodded. "Anyways, where were we?"

"Serena."

"Right," he said, his face falling. "Did she really say that to you?"

"Yeah," May nodded. "I don't understand it. I've never seen a face so full of hatred before." She looked at her boyfriend fearfully. "What's wrong with her, Ash?"

He shook his head sadly. "Her heart is broken."

"Broken?" May whispered.

Ash nodded, expression unchanged. "When you and I became a couple, it broke her heart," he explained. "She was seriously attracted to me, and hearing that the boy she loved could never be her's hurt her deeply. Ever since then, she hasn't been herself." He sighed. "I was hoping that we could at least patch things up between you two, but there's no way that can happen if she acts so vicious to you."

" _Pika_ ," Pikachu shook his head sadly.

May nodded, her expression a mirror of his. "I feel awful for her," she said. "She seemed like such a nice girl, and I think we could be great friends. But she's so wrapped up in this fantasy world of her's, she can't see me as anything but a thief who wants nothing more than to kill her and destroy her life."

"Well, we can't give up on her," Ash said. "She's too good a person to be left behind. And in times like this, I have to remind myself that even though she's hurt and broken, she can be healed. But healing takes time, and it begins with trust."

"Trust," May whispered, the word gracefully falling off her tongue. "Yes, trust. That's where it begins. We will help her find her way back home."

"Together," Ash nodded, smiling. May returned the smile and pecked him on the cheek. They continued walking along. Then suddenly, a shadow fell over them.

"Whoa!" they cried.

"Huh?" the others, in front of them, stopped in place. Ash and May quickly caught up to them.

"What was that?" May asked.

"Was that Eggman again?" Sonic wondered.

"Sonic?" Ash raised an eyebrow.

"Huh?"

"Your voice…"

Sonic blinked. "What about it?"

"It sounds...more normal than usual."

"Hey," Max realized, "you're right! It does!"

"But for how long?" Sonic wondered. His voice was gravelly again.

"Just a split second, I guess," Amy shrugged.

"How strange," Max mused.

"Hm!" Serena muttered, arms folded across her chest. "Strange, indeed. Well, we better keep moving. Slateport can't be too far from here!"

They did just that. Then something twinkled in the sky, catching Max's attention. "Huh?"

"What is it?" Ash asked. Then he saw it too. "Hm...you think that has something to do with that shadow that fell over us."

"I don't know," Max said. "It kinda reminded me of...Jirachi."

"Jirachi," Ash mused. "Yeah, it did, didn't it? I wonder what it was."

"Yeah," Max nodded. "Well, let's keep going."

"Agreed."

With that, they continued on their way once again, a watchful protective eye watching them with care.


	25. Chapter 25

Chapter 25: A Silver Medal

The next morning, Ash, Sonic and co. arrived in Slateport City. After regrouping with the others, everyone boarded the Tornado NX and set their course for Mt. Pyre.

"Hey, where'd Cynthia go?" Ash asked as soon as they were in the air again.

"She had to leave to continue her research," Knuckles replied. "She said she was going to a region far away from here. I wonder where she's headed."

"Well, you know how champions are," Max said. "They're always attending to their own business, and they rarely have time to have fun."

Some of the people on the plane chuckled at that. Ash, however, looked out the window and frowned slightly. _Is that what it's like being a Pokemon Master?_ he thought. _When I reach my dream, will that happen to me, too? I hope not._

"You all right?"

His thoughts abruptly stopped when he heard the person next to him ask him a question. "Yeah, I'm fine," he replied. "Thanks for asking."

"What are friends for?" May winked at him. The two of them chuckled and pecked each other on the lips, unaware of a pair of blue eyes glaring at them with jealousy.

 _Why?_ Serena thought. _Why did I have to lose him?_ Tears began to form in her eyes, but she fought to keep them from falling. _Why didn't he choose me? What does he see in her that he doesn't see in me?! What's so special about her?!_ She squeezed her eyes shut, a single tear falling down her face. _Why am I left behind while they go off living a fairy tale?! WHY?!_

"Serena?"

"What?!" she shouted, startling everyone on the plane. Everything was deathly quiet for a moment before she realized what she'd done. She looked at the face of her friend and saw that her eyes were full of tears. "Bonnie?" she whispered. Bonnie sniffed and wiped her eyes. "Bonnie, I'm sorry," she said. "I'm just…" she trailed off.

"What?" Bonnie asked, still slightly choked up.

Serena sighed. "I'm just having a hard time right now."

Bonnie finished wiping her eyes and put a smile on. "It's okay," she said. Then she walked up and hugged her tightly. For a moment, Serena was taken aback, but she quickly reciprocated the little girl's affection. And in that moment, for the first time in a long time, a genuine smile smile formed on Serena's face. And then that moment ended, and her expression quickly became sad.

Bonnie noticed this. "Don't be sad," she smiled. "Be happy! What's there to be sad about?"

Serena forced a smile on her face. Bonnie grinned, gave her a thumbs-up, and walked back to her seat. When she was gone, Serena stopped smiling and looked out the window in sadness. _There are so many things to be sad about_ she thought. _Bonnie has no idea._

"Looks like we're close to Mt. Pyre," Knuckles said as a mountain shrouded in clouds became visible.

"Right," Sonic nodded as he turned to the cockpit. "On your signal, Tails."

"We'll be in optimal position in five minutes," Tails replied.

Sonic nodded and stood by the door leading out. Ash got up too, but Sonic put his hand out. "I think you should sit this one out, Baseball Head."

"Huh?" Ash blinked in confusion.

"It seems every time you jump out of this plane, you got attacked by something," Sonic reminded him. "I don't know why that is, but I don't want you to get hurt."

"But what about you?" he asked. "Won't you be alone?"

"Of course he won't!" Hoopa shouted, leaping out of his shadow indignantly. "I'm sticking with Sonikan, for better or worse!"

"Oh, right," Ash chuckled in embarrassment. "Forgot about that."

"Say, what kind of Pokemon is that?" Iris asked.

"Looks like it eats donuts," Cilan said.

"You dorks!" Dawn laughed at them. "That's Hoopa! It's a mythical Pokemon, said to be from Kalos." She looked at the Pokemon in admiration. "Wow. You're a lot cuter than I thought you'd be!"

Hoopa blinked. "I don't know if that's supposed to be a compliment or not."

"I'd go with compliment," Sonic chuckled. Hoopa and Dawn giggled with him as Hoopa returned to his shadow.

"All right, Sonic!" Tails called after some time had passed. "We're nearing optimal position. Get ready to jump!"

"Right!" Sonic nodded. He stood at the doorway as it slowly opened, the wind blowing through his fur.

"Here we go," Tails called. "Jump in 3...2...1!"

Sonic leapt out of the plane and dove towards the mountain below, the wind hissing through his ears. He didn't mind, as he prepared to land and take off running.

 _There is nowhere for you to go._

His eyes widened. "Did I hear something?"

 _No father, no mother, no brother, no sister._

"Pft, whatever," Sonic shrugged as he landed on his feet. "Okay, now to get to the summit!"

* * *

In a dark void, a mysterious figure looked around impatiently. _So_ he said to himself. _They continue to gather the Chaos Emeralds, unhindered. The doctor's efforts are fruitless!_ He angrily slammed his glowing tail on the ground, causing a shockwave. _I believed that by working with those three fools, he could accomplish my work for me effectively. But it appears I was wrong._ It lowered its head and ground its teeth. _I have no one to rely on now. No one...no..._ only _one._

 _My Messenger...will_ not _fail me._

* * *

After Sonic weaved through Mt. Pyre's gloomy interior, he quickly reached the summit. When he arrived there, he found an empty pedestal where it appeared a Chaos Emerald should be.

"Huh?" he said.

"What's this?" Hoopa wondered, popping out of his shadow.

"I get the feeling there should be a Chaos Emerald here," he explained. "But there's nothing here." He pulled out a radio. "I better call Tails."

 _TARGET ACQUIRED. FIRE AT WILL._

The two of them started on hearing the sudden robotic voice. Sonic whirled around and saw several Eggrobos standing in front of him, with firearms aimed right at him. No sooner had they fired than Sonic leapt into the air, began spinning, and then jumped onto one of their heads, knocking it out. Bouncing off that one, he repeated the process and effectively knocked out the entire squad of Eggrobos before skidding to a stop next to Hoopa.

"Piece of cake," he smirked. "No sweat!"

"What were Eggman's robots doing here?" Hoopa wondered.

At that, Sonic's smirk vanished. "Must've been a trap," he said.

 _TARGET ACQUIRED. FIRE AT WILL._

Sonic whirled around to see even more Eggrobos aiming at him. "Oh, great," he muttered. "Not more of them." He got into a fighting stance, only to watch the robos suddenly glow with a green aura and get thrown away, causing them to explode.

"Huh?" Hoopa exclaimed.

"That glow," Sonic mused.

"Looks like you got your hands full."

They turned around to see their new companion. "Silver?" Sonic said.

"That's right," Silver the Hedgehog nodded, brushing himself off.

"What brings you here?" Sonic asked.

"Me?" Silver replied. "I could be asking you that same question. You're looking for the Chaos Emeralds, aren't you?"

"What made that obvious?" Sonic joked.

"I was down in Slateport City searching for an emerald when I overheard some friends of yours talking about finding it at Mt. Pyre. I came here to find it, but as soon as I got here, Eggman and his cronies from Team Rocket snatched it and got away. I tried to stop them, but they were too fast."

"Eggman!" Sonic cursed to himself, clenching his fist. "I might've known."

"What do you need the emeralds for?" Silver asked, raising an eyebrow (or whatever he had).

"I had them with me when I fought Eggman in space. Then he took them from me and threw us all out of his ship. They scattered all over the world."

Silver's eyes widened. "Did Eggman destroy the planet?" he asked.

"Kind of. He fired some sort of death ray at the planet and split it into several parts. We're trying to recover the emeralds so we can use them to fix it."

"I might've known he was responsible," the white hedgehog growled to himself.

"Huh?" Sonic said. "What do you mean?"

"My future was destroyed again," Silver explained. "This time, the whole planet's falling to pieces. I'm trying to save it. Now that I know the cause, I can act accordingly."

"You're not planning to kill Eggman, are you?"

"No, of course not!" Silver shook his head. "I know better than to kill someone just to save the future. Ends don't justify means."

"Agreed," Sonic nodded. "So, you need the Chaos Emeralds, do you? Then I suppose you could join us if you wanted."

"No," Silver shook his head. "I've travelled around the world, looking for what caused my world to fall apart, and I think I've found it."

"Right," Sonic nodded. "Eggman."

"Not just Eggman," Silver said. "There's something else: a strange dark force. I don't know what it is, but I know where its influence begins."

Sonic's eyes widened. "Where?"

"Well, I don't know the name of the region," Silver admitted, "but it's not the regions you're well-acquainted with: Kanto, Johto, Hoenn, and the rest of them...it's separate from them all."

"I see," Sonic nodded. "Well then we'll probably end up over there, too. Something strange has been haunting us since we started this adventure. It may be related to this dark force you speak of."

Silver nodded. "Well, I guess you guys can continue on your way to collect the Chaos Emeralds, and then we can meet back up over there."

"I look forward to it," Sonic nodded. "Until then, farewell, Silver."

"Farewell, Sonic," Silver smiled, hovering in the air and then taking off like a bullet. Sonic and Hoopa watched him rocket away.

"Let's get back to the others," Hoopa said.

"Agreed," Sonic said. With that, they began their descent from Mt. Pyre.


	26. Chapter 26

Chapter 26: Memories

"Eggman got the Chaos Emerald?" Tails said after Sonic recounted everything that happened.

"Yup," he nodded. "Looks like the Egg-ster was one step ahead of us this time."

"Of course he got the fourth emerald," Ash mumbled to himself. "It had to be that damn fourth Chaos Emerald."

" _Pika_!" Pikachu glared at him, slapping him with his tail.

"Hey! Not necessary!" Ash glared back at him.

"If Eggman's got his eye on the Chaos Emeralds," Amy muttered, "then we should probably find the next closest one fast."

"Well, sit tight and relax," Tails said, pulling a lever and causing a humming sound. "We're heading for the Johto region!"

"Johto," May smiled as she sat back, closing her eyes. "I had a lot of fun out there."

"How much fun can you have by yourself?" Sonic wondered, sitting next to her.

"Not much," she admitted. "At least, not as much as when you're with friends." She sighed. "Having no one to rely on out there really forced me to dig deep inside myself."

"You didn't travel with your rivals?" Sonic raised an eyebrow (or whatever he had).

"No."

"Huh. That's weird, because Grasshead always told me that you two spent basically the whole time hanging out."

"Drew?" May said, sitting up slightly. "No. Whenever we reached a contest hall, we'd train a little together, but that was basically it. I was alone."

"Wow," Sonic murmured. "Sounds dreary."

"It wasn't that bad," she smiled. "I had a lot of fun, and I really grew as a coordinator...and a person. But experiences like those can never be fully appreciated unless you have friends to share them with."

"I don't know how you could go for a week being alone," the hedgehog muttered. "I can barely go 24 hours!"

"But if you never spend time alone, you'll never have time to be with yourself," she said.

Sonic blinked. "Be with yourself?"

May nodded slowly. "I learned a lot of things about myself that I never knew before when I was in Johto. But one of the most important things I learned was the importance of spending time alone, just so I could be with myself."

Sonic shrugged. "Sometimes you guys make no sense."

"Well, we're from different worlds, after all."

They sat there a moment in silence as the last rays of the setting sun faded. Immediately, Sonic began convulsing as he transformed into a werehog. A brief moment later, he relaxed, once again in his monstrous form.

"Ugh," he moaned, holding his head in his massive claw. "I'll never get used to that."

"Does it hurt?" she asked in concern.

He shook his head grimly. "Every time, May," he whispered. "Every time."

At that moment, they heard a mysterious but serene noise. "What was that?" May asked.

"Was that a Pokemon?" Knuckles wondered.

"Whoa!" Max exclaimed. Everyone's eyes shot towards him. "Something must've flown outside my window," he said. "Everything went pitch black for a minute!"

"Really?" Dawn said, intrigued. "I wonder if it was a Darkrai."

"You think a Darkrai would be attracted to our presence?" Cilan wondered. "I find that improbable."

"But if it's not a Darkrai, what is it?" Serena asked.

"You guys do realize there are many different Pokemon in the world, right?" Amy reminded them. "It could've been anything."

"She has a point," Ash said in agreement. "Still, with everything that's been going on, I can't help but wonder if that was a legendary Pokemon."

"We should stay on our toes," Knuckles said. "There's no telling what will happen."

Everyone agreed. About an hour later, they were all fast asleep. Well, most of them were.

"That Pokemon," Ash thought to himself. "I've never heard anything like it. Where is it from? I wonder…" His stomach responded by growling. "Well, I guess I can figure it out after getting a bite to eat," he chuckled to himself, pulling out a small bar. As he bit into it, an unpleasant smell wafted into his nose. He scrunched his face. "Eugh," he grumbled. "What's that?" He slowly ate his bar, hoping the smell would go away, but it didn't. Finally, he lifted his arm and smelled his pits. "Oh, dear," he face-faulted. "I guess I forgot to put on deodorant this morning." He sighed. "Well, I guess I better go change. No use stinking up the whole plane. Maybe if we stop by home I can have Mom do my laundry." With that, he stood up, careful not to wake anyone else, and tiptoed over to a changing room.

He dug through his backpack in search for a clean set of clothes, only to see that all his newest clothes were dirty. Worse still, he only had one clean pair of underwear left (he'd been changing it everyday). He sighed and pulled out his last outfit. As he held it in his hands for the first time in over a decade, he paused as nostalgia flooded his memory:

The Spearows...the destroyed bike...the Indigo Conference...and everything in between. He sighed and smiled as he held his old blue jacket to his chest. Then, slowly and solemnly, he got dressed.

When he looked at his reflection, he was in awe. Despite the fact that he was going to be 18 years old soon, the clothes still fit him nicely. His shirt was a little tighter, as were his jacket and pants, but they still fit him to a tee. His green fingerless gloves also fit his hands. He flexed his fingers. No strain. He looked at his reflection again, then blinked as he recognized the last piece that was missing. With an affectionate smile, he pulled that last piece out of his pack and placed it on his head.

With some adjusting, it still fit.

He placed his hand on the mirror, still smiling as a small tear fell from his eye.

"Looking good, Ash," he whispered. "After all these years, you've still got it." With a nostalgic sigh, he shoved everything else back into his backpack and went back to his seat. There, he laid back and slowly fell asleep as memories of a certain red-headed gym leader and a would-be ladies' man flooded his dreams.


	27. Chapter 27

Chapter 27: A Cold Wind Blows

It was now very early in the morning, before the sun was rising. Tails, having put the Tornado NX on autopilot, was restless. He woke up several times throughout the night because of a nightmare, only to fall back asleep. Now he was fully awake, as his restless body would not let him sleep anymore.

Annoyed by this, he pulled out his Chaos Emerald radar to check on the emerald's location. With the improved accuracy, he pinpointed its location:

"Mount Quena?" he murmured. "How did it get there?"

* * *

 _They are coming_ the Messenger said.

 _Are they?_ its master replied, his back turned to his servant.

 _Yes. They are heading to Mount Quena._

 _Mount Quena_ the dark figure repeated, closing his eyes as though remembering. _Something about that place...that detestable place...something about it strikes a chord in my heart. It's as though I've been there before. But it makes no matter. Their quest for the Chaos Emeralds will lead them to us. What fools...believing that such pathetic power as that can hope to undo what the doctor has wrought!_

 _You mustn't underestimate the emeralds_ the Messenger informed him. _One emerald alone is a source of unlimited power. Whenever they gather all seven, there is nothing they cannot do._

Its master nodded in understanding. _Yes_ he mused. _But my power is greater than anything they know._ He clenched his fist. _That is why Ash Ketchum must die._

 _What?_ the Messenger looked at him, surprised.

 _He holds a power greater than my own, and he has already tapped into it once. If he should learn to control this power, to harness it, then all I have done will be for naught. I cannot spare any risks!_

 _Do you truly believe he will be able to harness it?_ the Messenger asked, sounding uncertain.

 _He has already learned how to wield a similar power with his Greninja. It would not take much for him to discover the power housed in that stone he carries around his neck. He is far too dangerous to be allowed to live, and I cannot rest until I know for certain that he is DEAD!_

The Messenger flinched as its master suddenly shouted, causing a small explosion in the dark void he called home. When it settled down, its master could be heard breathing heavily.

 _Then what is my next task?_ the Messenger asked after a moment of silence. _You know I could never kill him._

 _Leave that to me_ its master said. _I have promised you one life, and one life only. All else is mine. As for you, keep a low profile. When these fools come for the seventh Chaos Emerald, then we will strike._

 _That's something else that bothers me_ the Messenger interjected. _Dr. Eggman and Team Rocket have the seventh emerald, as well as the one from Mt. Pyre. Why did you let them take them?_

 _I wanted to make things easier for them_ its master said with a growl. _Their usefulness is quickly coming to an end. I need them only to lure Ash Ketchum to the seventh emerald. Then I will dispose of them._ He turned and looked at his Messenger. _You are not concerned with my desire to kill him, are you?_

Silence filled the void as the dark figure's question hung in the air. The Messenger simply stood there, its hidden face expressionless. Then, with an icy bitterness that no human being could wield in their voice, it gave its answer:

 _He means nothing to me._

 _I see_ its master mused, turning away again. _Then it's settled. You take her life, and I'll take his._ He chuckled softly yet darkly. _It's almost poetic, like a tragedy from ages past._

 _Sir, if I may ask one more question_ the Messenger quipped.

 _Make it quick_ he snapped back, though not completely vehement.

 _What about Shadow? Do you fear him, too?_

After a brief pause, he simply chuckled. _I told you I would take care of him in the same way I take care of anyone who dares to stand against my power. Shadow the Hedgehog is no longer a threat to us. He will live...and suffer._

The Messenger nodded. _I understand._

 _Good. Now, is there anything else?_

 _No_ it replied. _I am content._

 _Good. Now remember: keep a low profile. You are the key to Ash Ketchum. If anyone else should unlock him before I do, they will suffer a fate worse than his own!_

 _As you wish, my master_ the Messenger bowed, then turned and slowly walked away.

 _The power of his stone_ the dark being shivered. _He will destroy us all._

* * *

"Do you think this'll work?" Knuckles asked over the roar of the plane's engine. The door was open, and he, accompanied by several others, held a rope. Ash was at the bottom of the rope as they neared their destination. The sun was rising by this point.

"It should be fine," Tails called back. "Ash has a firm grip. This'll be a piece of cake."

Knuckles shrugged and turned back as Mount Quena was now in range.

"I found it!" Ash called from below. "Lower me!"

"Hold on tight, Baseball Head!" Sonic, a hedgehog again, called as they slowly lowered the rope. As Ash lowered towards the mountain, a glimmering gem wedged between two rocks. After calling for just a little bit more, he reached out and grazed the emerald with his fingertips. It slipped slightly and started to fall, but he quickly snatched it.

"I got it!" he called back up. "Bring me in!"

With that, everyone hoisted him up again. He climbed back into the plane and held himself close as he stood up and shivered.

"Chilly breeze out there?" May winked at him.

"You h-have no id-dea," he said through chattering teeth. May just laughed and pushed him playfully. Then she gasped.

"Goodness! You _are_ cold!"

"I t-told you," he said, his teeth still chattering. "D-Did winter c-come early this year?"

"You sure it's not just the breeze blowing through?" Serena asked in concern.

"Even if it was, I don't think it would make your teeth chatter," May said, her eyes worried. She laid a hand on Ash's forehead. "Are you okay, Ash?"

"I-I'm f-fine," he said, still shivering.

"Here," Dawn said, handing him a winter coat. "I brought this for hiking Mt. Coronet. I guess you need it more than I do."

"Th-Thanks," Ash smiled, gratefully taking her pink coat and covering himself in it. He sat down and continued to shiver, though as he continued to warm up, he shivered less and less.

"Something's not right," Amy muttered. "There's no way the temperature outside could naturally get anywhere below sixty degrees. And even if it did get that low, there'd be no way it would be cold enough to cause someone to shiver this much. And even if it _was_ cold enough, Ash was wearing two shirts and a pair of pants. Yet here he is, shivering like he just got out of some icy water! Does this strike anyone else as suspicious?"

"Hm," Cilan thought. "You know, Amy does have a point. What could have caused this?"

"Possibly a Pokemon of some kind?" Sonic suggested. "Wouldn't be the first time I heard of a Pokemon causing something unnatural."

"I think Sonic's right," Ash, now steady, said. "The question, then, is which Pokemon?"

"Let's just keep our eyes open," Knuckles said. "With everything that's been going on, I'm sure we'll find the answer soon enough."

Everyone agreed as Tails set their course for Kanto to find the sixth Chaos Emerald. As he did so, Ash walked over.

"Hey, Tails," he asked. "Where are we headed next?"

"Hm, let's see," Tails said as he checked the radar. "Ah! It looks like the emerald is somewhere outside Pallet Town!"

"Pallet Town?" Ash's eyebrows went up. "That's great! Man, Mom's probably worried sick about me right now. May and I left without warning when Eggman attacked."

"Think we could land there?" Tails asked.

"Find a sufficient spot, and we'll do it," Ash grinned. With that, he walked back to his seat and sat down. The blood suddenly rushed to his head, causing him to become dizzy for a moment. "Ugh," he muttered.

"You okay, Ash?" Max asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine," he replied. "Just a little dizzy, that's all."

But Ash was wrong. As the Tornado NX rapidly drew closer to Pallet Town, his condition worsened. He started hacking, his throat became sore, and his overall energy level plummeted.

"Aaa-CHOO!" he sneezed for the fifth time.

"Good gracious, Ash!" May exclaimed, placing her hand on his forehead again. "You really are burning up!"

"It's...nothing," Ash wheezed. "I'm...fine."

"No, you're not!" May said angrily. "You're burning up! You've got a fever! We need to get you home now!"

"Tails!" Max called. "How much farther?"

"We're practically there!" Tails called back. "Let me just land the plane and we'll get to Ash's house straight away!"

Ash sighed, depressed. "This is not how I wanted to spend my afternoon," he moaned.

As soon as the plane landed, May and Sonic worked together to carry Ash across the plain to his house. When she was a few yards away, the front door opened as a familiar, auburn-haired woman rushed out.

"Oh, heavens!" she cried, coming up and placing her son's cheeks between her hands. "What's happened to him?"

"He caught a bit of a fever," Sonic said. "It's probably not too serious. He just needs some rest."

"Bring him to the couch," she instructed them. "Place a damp cloth on his forehead and stick a thermometer in his mouth." They nodded in response, and Sonic took him inside. May tried to follow him, but Ash's mother grabbed her arm. "As for you, young lady," she said, looking somewhat stern.

"I'm so sorry, Mrs. Ketchum," May said. "I know we left without warning, but –"

She was cut short when Delia put her hand on her shoulder. "Thank you for taking care of him."

May blinked. "Huh? You're not upset?"

"No," Delia shook her head. "Maybe a little frustrated that you left without warning, but I'm glad you're okay. Now come in, quickly! Your Ashy needs you."

May blushed furiously at that last comment, but she hurried inside to take care of her boyfriend.


	28. Chapter 28

Chapter 28: Falling Ill

An hour passed. Shortly after arriving at his house, Ash had passed out on the couch. He slept peacefully until the old grandfather clock chimed loudly for the hour.

"Ugh," he moaned as his eyes fluttered open. "My head feels like it's on fire."

"That's kinda what happens when you have a fever," a familiar female voice said.

"Gosh, this must be worse than that Vileplume incident," a male voice muttered.

"Well, it's not that bad," another male voice said. "A fever isn't enough to keep Ash down for long."

Ash turned his head towards the voices, a small smile breaking out on his face. "Misty!" he said weakly but enthusiastically. "Brock! Tracey! What're you guys doing here?"

"We were visiting your mother to catch up," Misty explained. "Then of course _you_ came barging in and made a mess of everything, as usual."

"Ugh," he sighed. "Sorry."

"No need to apologize," the red-haired gym leader giggled. "You've been like that from the day I met you: barging in without permission and causing trouble for everyone. But between you and me, you cause the best kind of trouble in the world."

Ash blinked. "Um...thanks?" he shrugged.

"Hey, to be fair, this is his house," Tracey defended his friend with a smile. "He has a right to barge in here whenever he wants."

"Can't argue with that," Brock agreed. Then he turned to Ash with a more serious expression. "How did you get sick?"

"I don't know," he replied.

"Oh, come on!" May shouted in exasperation from out of his line of sight. "Yes you do! When you went to get the Chaos Emerald, you got too cold! That's what happened!"

"Okay, fine," he huffed and rolled his eyes. "Jeez, what a hassle."

"Ugh, you are impossible!" May shouted back at him. Then he heard the door slam. He blinked, puzzled.

"Did I do something wrong?" he asked.

"May's been worried sick about you ever since we got here," Misty explained. "She's mad at you for being too cool with it."

"I don't get why she's so riled up," Ash muttered. "It's not a big deal. Here, I'll get up and talk to her," he started to stand up.

"OH, NO YOU DON'T!" May shouted for a third time, slamming the door open and marching back in and up to her boyfriend. She grabbed his shoulders and forced him back down onto the couch. "You're staying right there until you're all better, understand?! I don't want you exerting yourself when you have no energy!"

"Ugh!" he grunted, now thoroughly annoyed. "Fine! Have it your way!"

"THIS IS BURGER KING!" Tracey cheered. Everyone face-faulted.

* * *

"Where is the emerald again?" Sonic asked his best friend as they walked along.

"It's somewhere on Route 1," Tails said. "Given the simplicity of the path, we should have no problem finding it."

"No sweat," Sonic grinned. "We'll have that emerald in no time!"

"Don't get comfortable," Knuckles muttered, looking to the sky. "The sun's going down quickly, and you know what that means."  
"Yeah, yeah," Sonic shrugged. "Come on. Let's hurry up and find that emerald."

Now on Route 1, they walked along until they came to a small river. Following it upstream, they came to a small waterfall. By this time, Sonic had turned into a werehog again.

"My radar's going berserk," Tails said, looking up at the waterfall. "The emerald must be up there."

"Then what are we waiting for?" Knuckles said, cracking his namesakes and running up. He placed his spiked fists on the wall to climb up, only for them to slip and knock him on his butt. "Guh! Blasted wall. The waterfall's making it impossible to get a grip."

"Hm," Sonic mused, looking up. "It looks like the wall is dryer higher up. Maybe you can get a grip up there."  
"Hey!" Knuckles shouted. "Don't insult me like that!"

"What?" Sonic blinked. "I wasn't insulting you. I was saying you could get a grip up th–" He cut himself off when he realized what he said. "Oh...whoops," he put his fist behind his head sheepishly.

"Guys, can we focus here?" Tails asked, annoyed. He looked up. "I think Sonic's right. If we can get you up there, then you should be able to cling to the wall, Knuckles."

"But how can we do that?" Knuckles asked.

"Here," Tails replied, handing his radar to Sonic. "I'll fly you up there." He grabbed Knuckles fists and began spinning his tails...only to barely make it five feet off the ground before his arms got exhausted from the echidna's weight. "Well that didn't work," he groaned.

"Now what should we try?" Knuckles grumbled.

"I have an idea," Sonic said. "My arms are super strong and elastic. Maybe I can throw him up."

"You think that'll work?" Tails asked, raising an eyebrow (or whatever he had).

"It's all I got right now," he shrugged.

"Let's try it," Knuckles said. "Just don't throw me up too far, okay?"

"You got it. Okay, let's go."

Sonic grabbed Knuckles with his right hand, stood up on a rock, and began swinging his arm rapidly. He spun faster and faster, causing Knuckles to get dizzy. Then, with a roar, he threw the echidna up the wall. Knuckles spun through the air, but he managed to regain his senses long enough to grab the wall with his fists.

"I got it!" he called, shaking his head to reorient himself completely.

"Okay! Careful up there!" Tails called back. "Now get under the waterfall. The emerald seems to be there."

"Right," Knuckles said, moving to the side to get under the waterfall. He went out of sight from his friends for about 30 seconds. Then they heard a splash, and Knuckles popped out of the river beside them, emerald in hand.

"I got it!" he said.

"Awesome!" Tails cheered. "Now let's get this back to the house!"

"Right," Knuckles said, then he looked at the waterfall curiously. "What a strange place for an emerald to fall."

"Probably just circumstance," Tails said as the two of them started back. Sonic, meanwhile, stayed behind a moment to gaze at the waterfall. His mind replayed a story Ash told him...the story of his first day as a Pokemon trainer.

"Or maybe it was fate," he said softly to himself. He smiled and followed his friends back to Pallet Town.

* * *

The Ketchum house was now dark and quiet, as everyone headed to sleep. While most of them slept in the guest bedroom, others shared Delia's room. Max slept on the couch where Ash had been, and Bonnie slept on the floor beneath him.

Ash, meanwhile, had retired to his room after dinner. Only Pikachu accompanied him. He grumbled dreadfully as he struggled to fall asleep. Unfortunately, all his coughing and wheezing made it hard to rest.

Just as he rolled over to the side of his bed for the sixteenth time that night, he heard a small knock on his door. He rolled his eyes. "I'm fine, Mom," he said, expecting that she'd come up to check on him again. To his chagrin, he heard the same knock again. "Ugh, fine," he groaned. "Come in."

The doorknob turned and the door opened. To his surprise, his mom didn't walk in. Someone else did. "I didn't know getting sick could make you so irritable," she said, putting her hands on her hips.

"It doesn't, May," he replied, turning on a small lamp by his bed so they could see each other. "Everyone's just making a big deal out of nothing."

"Out of nothing?" May said incredulously. "Ash, when a friend is sick, you don't just ignore them. You help them get better. You may not directly take care of them, but you always do something."

"Thanks, but I'll be fine," he replied a bit more curtly than he intended. "Please just go back to bed. You need your sleep."

"I am NOT going anywhere," May growled, raising her voice a bit but still keeping it down so she didn't wake anybody. "You may be my hero, but that does NOT mean we can't take care of you in your time of need."

"Like I said," Ash said, "I'll be fine. Just go back to bed and –"

May harshly placed her hand over his mouth, shutting him up. Her face was directly above his. "It's not like that," she whispered. Her voice, to Ash's surprise, was getting slightly choked up. "I know you aren't that sick and that you'll probably be better by tomorrow. But if I can't care for you when you need someone, what am I supposed to do?" Small tears trickled down her face, and she put her head on his chest. "You were there for me when I almost got killed by that machine. Why can't I be here for you, now?"

Ash heard her sniffle, and a sting of guilt pierced his heart. "May," he whispered. She didn't respond, simply crying into his chest. "May, can you look at me?"

She lifted her head and looked at him, wiping the tears from her eyes. They were still on the verge of falling down her face, though.

"I'm sorry," he said. "You're right. I didn't realize what it meant to you." He placed his hand behind her head and stroked her hair. "I won't stop you anymore."

She smiled lovingly and kissed his forehead, two small tears trickling down her face and falling onto his forehead. "Thank you," she whispered. Then she looked up and saw that he had fallen asleep with a small smile on her face. Still smiling herself, she slowly went to Ash's closet and pulled out a cot. She set it up and laid there, gazing lovingly at Ash's sleeping face.

"You are such an amazing person," she said, partially to herself. "I don't think you realize how much you mean to us all. You find a way to do the impossible. Your love for all living things is unmatched by anyone or anything I've ever seen. And when no one has the strength to stand for what's right, you give them that strength, willing to stand even when no one else will." She reached her arm out and placed it on top of Ash's hand, which dangled over the bed. "You're my hero, Ash Ketchum. No...you're _our_ hero." Her eyes drooped as sleep overtook her, but not before she whispered one last thing to the boy she loved:

" _Thank you._ "


	29. Chapter 29

Chapter 29: A Shocking Realization

As the sun rose the next morning, Sonic sat on the Ketchums' front porch, arms folded. With the light of the sun, his form returned to normal. He closed his eyes, breathed in the fresh morning air and sighed in content.

"Enjoying your rest?"

His eyes shot open at the sound of the dark voice. He turned and saw a familiar dark figure standing next to him, arms folded with a perpetual frown. "Shadow?" Sonic said, tensing up. "What do you want?"

"The day is young," Shadow replied, "but the darkness is slowly growing. Soon there will be no light left."

Sonic blinked, puzzled. "What are you talking about?"

"Do you know where you're going?" Shadow asked.

"Uh...not exactly," the blue hedgehog shrugged. "We know we're going to find the last Chaos Emerald. Tails said it's in a region far away from here that's relatively unknown."

"I see," Shadow nodded. "Well, I'm afraid you're too late. The doctor's already got it. He has two emeralds, and that's all he needs to get what he wants."

"Eggman?" Sonic's eyes widened.

"He's built an amusement park called Eggmanland in the region of Ferrum, and he's using it to slowly seize control of that whole region. From there, he could easily take control of the world."

Sonic was shocked. "But...how is that possible? And why are you telling us?"

"I don't know how it's possible," Shadow shook his head, "but I do know that you are the only ones who can stop him. I figured you'd want to know."

"What about you?" Sonic asked. "Can't you help us?"

"Not exactly," the black hedgehog replied. "I lost a lot of my power to a dark being some time ago, and I still haven't fully recovered. However, I've been watching all of you from a distance to ensure your safety. That's why I came here to tell you."

Sonic was quiet for a moment. Then he nodded. "Then we have to fly to Ferrum as quickly as possible."

"No!" Shadow said. "Eggman's air defense is top-notch. The Tornado NX will be destroyed beyond repair. You have to go by sea."

"By sea? But doesn't he have defense for that, too?"

"Yes, but it's nowhere near as powerful as his air defense. He's expecting you to come by air. If you go by sea, you'll be able to get into Ferrum without him noticing."

"Under his Baldy McNosehair," Sonic chuckled. "Then it's settled. We set out for Ferrum by sea and storm Eggmanland."

"It's not quite that simple," Shadow stopped him. "There's something else: a dark foe you cannot defeat on your own. If you are found, you will be killed."

"Killed?" Sonic said, a bit more quietly. "A dark foe...I think I know what you're talking about."

"Then you know you must protect yourselves from him."

Sonic nodded. "So what do we do? Perhaps Tails has some sort of cloaking device to hide us from prying eyes."

"Technological cloaking is good, but it can only hide from so much. The darkness is not hindered by technology. You need to use Chaos to hide yourselves."

"Chaos?" Sonic raised an eyebrow (or whatever he had). "How can we do that?"

"You can't," Shadow said bluntly. "You need more experience with the power of Chaos to hide yourselves. That's why I will help you."

Sonic listened intently to his rival, then nodded. "Do what you must. Eggman must be stopped." With that, he turned and walked inside, as the sun was now high in the sky.

"If only you knew," Shadow whispered. "Our true enemy is far worse than the doctor could ever be."

* * *

It took a couple hours to rally everyone, but by noon everyone was ready to go. Misty and Brock joined the party (Tracey stayed behind as Professor Oak's assistant), along with a newly-revived Ash, now dressed in his Kalos outfit once again. After promising his mom that he would return, he and everyone else boarded Tails' armored boat. They headed to the center of the boat.

"I need a Chaos Emerald," Shadow said. Sonic handed him one. Shadow held it above his head, channelling energy through it, and dropped it onto a pedestal. It glowed a moment before returning to normal. "There," the black hedgehog said. "Now as long as this is here, you will all be invisible to anything outside the cloaking field. Nothing will be able to see you or find you."

"Thank you, Shadow," May smiled at him. "I don't know what we'd do without you."

"I wouldn't try to think about it," he replied. Then he turned to leave. "I'm sure you'll all be okay. When you get to Ferrum, use Tails' radar to follow the seventh emerald's location. It will lead you to Eggmanland. There, confront the doctor and shut him down."

"We will," Ash nodded, fist pumped.

" _Pikachu_."

"Very well, then," Shadow nodded, and left.

"Why doesn't he come with us?" Misty wondered aloud.

"His power is weak," Sonic said. "He's still recovering."

"How did that happen?" Brock wondered.

"I don't know," Ash shivered. "But I get the feeling that we'll be finding out very soon."

Shortly after Shadow's departure, the boat set sail. Things went very smoothly for three hours afterwards. The sky stayed clear, the sun shone brightly, and there were only a few white clouds dotting the sky. Three hours after departure, Ash was sitting in the sunlight, enjoying himself.

That was when he heard a faint but strange noise. His eyes opened, and he looked up, wondering if his ears were playing tricks on him. Then he heard it again. Curious, he stood up and walked to the edge of the boat, craning his head so he could hear. The noise came a third time, and though it was still faint, he got a better idea of what he was hearing. It sounded like a roar, but not a savage roar of anger. On the contrary, it sounded more majestic and powerful than anything.

"Was that a Pokemon?" he murmured. "I wonder…"

"Wonder what?"

"Ah!" he exclaimed, startled. "Oh, jeez...really, Misty?"

"Sorry," the redhead shrugged. "You seemed lost in thought. Whatcha doing?"

"Nothing, really," he replied, looking back to the sea. "I heard a roar from far away."

"A roar?" Misty raised an eyebrow. "Isn't that concerning?"

"No," Ash shook his head. "It was really far away, and it didn't sound too threatening, really. It sounded more majestic than anything."

Misty blinked in confusion, then smiled. "Sounds about right for you: always looking for a new adventure. Say, that reminds me: how long has it been since you left Kalos?"

"Only a few days. After that whole fiasco with Eggman, I couldn't afford to –"

"That's not what I meant," Misty interrupted him. "I was talking about your journey out there."

"Oh," Ash blinked. "Well, it's...probably been about eighteen months, now. I've had a hard time figuring out where to go next."

"I see," she nodded. "So you've been on an extended hiatus?"

"I guess so," he shrugged. "Mom was talking about taking me for a vacation for my birthday. I liked the idea, but we haven't been able to finalize anything because of everything that's been happening."

"Well, when all this blows over, I guess you can figure that out, then," Misty smiled, patting him on the back. Then she walked away. Ash watched her go with a smile.

"Yeah," he nodded. "I hope so."

That was when another, much more ominous sound reached his ears: thunder! His eyes widened, and he looked up to a shockingly dismal sight. The sky had gone from being bright blue to being completely overcast in gray since he started talking to Misty! After a moment, however, he relaxed as he realized:

"We must be getting close to Ferrum."

 _You won't go any farther._

His eyes widened in horror. A flash of lightning blinded him a moment. When he could see again, a familiar figure hovered above him.

"You!" he cried.

 _Yes_ the figure sneered. _I suppose I haven't properly introduced myself to you, specifically. I am the Messenger of the darkness, and I have a delightful message for you._

"What do you want?!" he shouted. "And how did you find us?!"

 _Hmhmhmhmhm_ the Messenger chuckled darkly as it lowered to his level. _I could answer that, but I think Shadow already answered it for me: I've been watching all of you from a place where you cannot find me. You cannot hide from me!_

Ash glared at the Messenger with anger. "Why are you here?" he growled. "What do you want?"

 _I want you to live_ the dark figure snarled. _I want you to do what you have come here to do so that we may make you suffer. Then you will know true pain, and you will beg for death!_

"NO!" Ash screamed. No sooner had he done so than the Messenger vanished from sight. He clenched his fists angrily.

"Ash! Are you okay?"

He turned and saw May run up to him. "I'm fine," he said.

"Did the Messenger say anything?"

His eyes widened. "You saw them, too?"

"Yes. They appeared to me before I came back to Petalburg and joined you guys. Looks like they're back again. What did they say?"

"They said they were going to make me suffer or something." He looked back to where the Messenger had been. "But how could they have found us? Shadow said we were invisible!"

"That's right," May nodded. "He said that as long as the Chaos Emerald stood on that pedestal, we'd be invisible." She looked towards the center of the boat. "Something must've happened!" She grabbed his hand and pulled him to the chamber with the emerald. What they saw astounded them:

The emerald was untouched, and Sonic stood right next to it, guarding it like a hawk.

"Sonic!" Ash cried.

"Huh?" the blue hedgehog looked up. "What's up?"

"Did anything happen in here?"

"No, why do you ask?"

Ash and May looked at each other, wild confusion in their eyes. "No reason," Ash shook his head. "Thanks." With that, they walked away. "That makes no sense," he said.

"The emerald didn't move at all," May breathed. "And yet the Messenger found us. How is that possible? Didn't Shadow say the emerald would protect us?"

"Yes," Ash nodded. "He said as long as the emerald was there, we'd be invisible to anything outside the field."

"Anything outside the field," May repeated quietly. Then her eyes widened in horror. "Ash…"

"Yeah?"

She looked at him with a pale expression. "The field protects us from what's outside...but not from what's _inside_!"

Ash blinked. "What are you saying?"

She squeezed her eyes shut and shook her head as the shocking reality of what was going on racked her mind: "No, it can't be true. Tell me it isn't true!"

"What?!" Ash cried. "May, what is it?!"

She relaxed a moment, then looked up at him, though her eyes were still filled with horror as she told Ash what she just found out:

"Ash," she whispered, her voice hoarse. "I think someone on this ship is betraying us!"


	30. Chapter 30

Chapter 30: Breaking Iron

A stunned silence was all that followed May's declaration. Ash just stood there, his mouth agape and eyes wide with shock and horror. The only sound to be heard was the waves of the ocean quietly batting against the boat. The sky seemed a little brighter, as the gray in the clouds above faded a bit.

"No," Ash finally said. "That...that's not…"

"Ash," May said sadly, reaching out to put a hand on his shoulder. He recoiled as though she were a stranger.

"No!" he cried. "You're wrong! That's impossible! No one would ever –!" His cries of anguish were silenced when May forcefully put her hand over his mouth. He tried to get her off, but she stayed firm, placing her other hand on his shoulder.

"Ash, please," she pleaded. "Calm down. I know this is hard to accept, but you need to listen to me. Please, just give me five minutes to explain what I'm saying."

Ash blinked, then his tense body relaxed as he sighed. "Sorry," he said. "It's just...I can't bring myself to believe that one of my friends – one of the people I consider a part of my own family – would sell us out like this."

"Neither can I," May shook her head as she dropped her arms. "But how else could the Messenger have found us? Shadow told us that nothing outside the Chaos field would be able to see us from outside as long as the Chaos Emerald stayed put. The emerald hasn't moved at all since we left Pallet Town...and yet the Messenger was able to find us. That can only mean that someone on this boat alerted them to our presence."

Ash listened intently. When she finished, he turned away and put his hand over his eyes. "But why?" he said softly, his voice choking up. "Who could've done this?" May could hear him sobbing. "Who could have made the choice to turn their back against their own friends, and why?"

Tears began to well up in May's eyes as well. "I...I don't know, Ash," she shook her head. "This is all so sudden and horrible; I'm just as horrified as you are." She leaned forward and embraced him. He returned the embrace, still crying. "But I promise you that no matter what happens, everything's gonna be okay. We can still win this battle." She adjusted her head a bit so her lips were right next to Ash's ear. "I promise."

Her words sent goosebumps down Ash's spine: the good kind of goosebumps that one gets from an exhilarating experience. After a moment of hugging, Ash pulled away. He was smiling again, but his eyes were filled with sadness and conflict. "Thank you, May," he said. "You're right. We're going to be okay, no matter what happens." His smile disappeared. "But again, who could've done this? And why?"

"I don't know," May shook her head again. "What are we gonna do, Ash? Now that we know one of our closest friends is a traitor, how can we trust them?"

"We can't," he sighed. "But we can't _not_ trust them, either."

"I know," she said. "That's the biggest problem, here."

"If we cut ourselves off from them, then we'll be no better than our betrayer," Ash said, grinding his teeth. "To leave everyone in the dust because one of them's a traitor is just another kind of betrayal."

"But we can't confide in them, either!" May groaned. "Dawn's always been one of my best friends, and if she's the traitor –"

"NO!" Ash shouted suddenly, abruptly putting his hands on her shoulders and clutching them tightly.

"Ash?"

"We can't think like that," he shook his head, a frantic look in his eye. "We can't even start to think like that. That will only create division between us all." He lowered his gaze so his eyes were obscured by his hat. "I can't let that happen. It would tear me apart."

May relaxed under his grip as he loosened it. "You're right," she said. "I'm sorry. But then what do we –?"

"We have to keep this a secret from everyone else."

She blinked. "What?"

"If the others know that there's a traitor in our midst, then it'll divide us," he explained. "But if you and I are the only ones who know that someone's a traitor, then we can quietly keep an eye out for any suspicious activity. Then, if we notice anything, we can meet in secret to talk about it."

May listened to what he said, then sighed. "I don't like keeping big secrets like this from people who are important to me, especially my little brother." She gazed into his eyes. "Is it okay to tell him at least?"

"I'm afraid not," Ash shook his head sadly. "I know you love him very much, but we can't let him know."

May's eyebrow twitched as slight anger found its way into her voice. "You're not saying you think he's the traitor, are you?!"

"I'm not accusing anyone of anything!" he said, putting his hands up defensively. "I don't believe your little brother is a traitor any more than you do! I want to believe he's innocent just as much as you do. I want to believe everyone on this boat is innocent." He lowered his hands solemnly. "But someone on this boat has betrayed us. I don't know who did it, or why, but until we find answers, I won't continue the cycle of betrayal. I won't accuse anyone until we know the truth."

May relaxed as he spoke. "I guess you're right," she sighed. "So we keep this a secret, just the two of us?"

"Yes," Ash nodded. "I know it's not what you want, and it's not what I want, either. But it's the best way to keep our group together and prevent all hell from breaking loose." He put his hand on her shoulder. "It's like you said: we're going to be okay, no matter what happens."

She smiled at his reassuring touch and placed her own hand over his own. For a moment, they just stood there, gazing into each other's eyes without reservation. Unfortunately, their moment was interrupted by a bell ringing at the top of the boat. They turned and saw Tails ringing it.

"We must be about to arrive," Ash said.

"Then let's go," May agreed. "Eggman is waiting."

* * *

 _How long will you be able to keep my secret, Ash? How long will it be before my betrayal destroys you? It's only fair that I be allowed to watch you suffer. My master will spare your life for now._

 _But you cannot escape your fate. You will perish, just as he decreed. But NOT before you beg for the sweet release of death._

 _That is something I look forward to hearing...every day. Heheheheh...hehahahahahaha! AAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAAAAA!_

* * *

A Weavile slept in the harbor of Selen Island. The ocean was fairly peaceful as it snored the day away. Unfortunately, peace was not to last. The sound of a bell caused the Weavile to stir in its sleep. It placed its claws over its ears to block out the sound. In the end, it proved futile, and it stood up, grumpy. However, when it recognized the figure standing at the helm of the boat, its demeanor pulled a 180, and it hurried off to find its trainer.

"So this is the Ferrum region," Sonic mused as he set foot on land.

"Doesn't look much different from anything we've seen so far," Tails said.

"I don't think there are any new Pokemon here," Ash said.

"What makes you say that, Ash?" Misty asked.

"Well, I probably would've heard of them at some point or another while in Kalos. I haven't heard anything."

Misty smiled at her old friend. "That's our Ash," she said warmly. "Always looking for his next big adventure."

He returned her smile as her words warmed his heart. Then he abruptly remembered what he and May talked about, and he turned away with a grunt. Misty was surprised by his sudden change in demeanor.

"Ash?" she said. "Is everything okay?"

"Huh?" he looked back at her, fumbling with his words. "Oh, yeah! Everything's fine! I'm just...er...a little winded from the trip. Yeah, that's it!" _Dammit, Ash!_ he cursed to himself. _Get a hold of yourself! You're making a fool of yourself!_

"Are you sure?" Brock interjected. "You seem a little off."

"Yeah, I'm fine, guys, really," he smiled, calming down and putting his hands out in front of him. "Just a little winded. Once we get to exploring, I'll be back to normal."

"Are you absolutely positive?" Brock asked. "It seems like something's bothering you."

"You know we're here for you, right?" Misty said softly. "You know you can trust us."

Her words rendered Ash completely silent as a blank, slightly pale expression forced its way onto his face. _I thought I knew_ he said in his mind, where they couldn't hear him. _But now I'm not so sure._ He squeezed his eyes shut and clenched his teeth. _Oh, Misty...Brock...I wish I could tell you the truth...but I can't! If there was ever a time I needed you, it's now. I need_ all _of you...and yet I can't trust any of you. Not until I know who's stabbing me in the back._

"Ash?"

He snapped out of his thoughts when he heard Misty's voice again. "Are you sure nothing's bothering you?" she asked in a caring tone.

He was about to retort with the same answer he'd already given, but he stopped himself and just sighed. "Okay," he said. "Yes, there is something bothering me. But it's a personal issue: it's something I have to take care of myself. Believe me, you guys would be the first people I'd call for if I believed you could help me. You guys are my best friends. But this is something I have to do, and I have to do it alone."

"I thought so," Misty smiled.

"Can you at least tell us?" Brock asked.

"No," Ash shook his head. "If I could, then I already would've. I'm sorry, guys."

"It's okay," Misty replied in understanding. "Just promise us that if there comes a time when you can tell us about this personal issue, you will."

"No problem," he grinned.

"That's better," Brock smiled.

"Hey, guys!"

They turned and saw Sonic tapping his foot impatiently. "Are we gonna get going or what? Eggman's not asleep right now, you know!"

"Let's go!" Ash pumped his fist excitedly and looked down at his feet. "You ready, Pikachu?"

" _Pi Pikachu_!" Pikachu cheered as he jumped up onto Ash's shoulder. With that, they all set off. Misty and Brock stayed in the rear.

"Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" Misty asked Brock.

"Yeah," Brock nodded. "That was odd. It's not like Ash to keep to himself like that, especially not from us."

"Hmph," Misty grumbled. "What's so personal that he had to keep it a secret from us anyway?!"

"Knowing Ash, I'm sure he has his reasons," Brock said.

" _Weavile_!"

Everyone jumped on hearing the familiar voice. A Weavile ran up to them and greeted them, followed quickly by a familiar face.

"Nia!" Ash and Sonic exclaimed.

"Hi!" the brunette smiled. "Long time no see!"

"Nia, we need your help," Sonic said. "Eggman's built a massive theme park in the Ferrum region, and we need to shut it down."

"What?" Nia's eyes widened. "Where?"

"I don't know," Sonic shook his head. "I was hoping you had an idea, but I guess not. Can you at least find a place for us to rest after our trip?"

Nia nodded. "Old Ferrum Town is towards the center of Ferrum. It's a quiet place, so it should be ideal for you to get some rest. I'll guide you there."

"Excellent," Tails said. "Hopefully from there we can locate Eggman and put a stop to his scheme once and for all!"

* * *

 _At long last...the final stage is about to begin!_


	31. Chapter 31

Chapter 31: A Phenomenal Phase-Off

"Um, Doctor?" James called.

"What is it?" Eggman asked, walking over to him. They were in the main control hub of Eggmanland.

"The twerps have arrived in Ferrum. They're on their way here right now."

Eggman looked at James' monitor and, seeing the evidence for himself, nodded. "Then it's time to launch our third wave." He turned to Jessie and Meowth. "Release Weapon 001!"

"Yes sir!" they saluted as they walked over to the switch. Jessie moved to press it, but hesitated.

"What is it?" Meowth asked.

"It's just," she said quietly, "the last time someone tried to capture the three birds, the world was nearly destroyed. Is it really all right to use them as weapons like this after the last time?"

Meowth shook his head. "I don't know. All I know is we got a job to do."

Jessie sighed in resignation and pressed the switch.

* * *

After crossing a small body of water to reach the Ferrum mainland, the group began making their way towards Old Ferrum Town. Nia walked in front of them as their guide.

"This place seems kinda chill," Sonic muttered. "I could get used to this."

"I suppose," Ash muttered, a grim expression on his face.

"Huh?" Sonic raised an eyebrow (or whatever he had). "Something the matter, Baseball Head?"

"Uh...maybe," he said. "Something just tells me that this region isn't the easiest place to live. Aura connects me to nature like that, you know?"

"An acute observation, Ash!" Nia grinned as they walked along. "Ferrum is known for a few things, including its abundance of iron. Iron is all over the place, which would usually make it fairly unsuitable for planting gardens, sustaining wildlife, and other natural processes."

"Then how do people get by out here?" Sonic wondered.

"Simple: there's a mysterious energy in the Ferrum region that allows Pokemon and humans to bond in a unique way and counteracts iron's negative effects: Gaia energy!"

"Gaia energy," Ash repeated. "Shadow told me about that a while back. Is this where it comes from?"

"Mostly, but there are rare sources outside the region as well. This is just the biggest of them all."

"Interesting," Ash mused.

"You think this is why Eggman wanted to set up camp out here?" Sonic suggested to him.

"Maybe."

"You mean he wants to steal the Gaia energy?" Nia asked in surprise.

"It's just a thought," Sonic said.

"Maybe not, actually," she replied. "We have monitors keeping track of the amount of Gaia energy in the region. As of late, the energy level's been declining at an alarmingly steady rate. It's causing everyone to become more sluggish, along with a myriad of other problems."

"Really?" Ash raised an eyebrow. "Then that probably means –"

 _GYAOO!_

Everyone froze at the sound. "Did you hear that?" Tails said.

"I sense trouble," Knuckles grit his teeth.

Suddenly, an ice-cold wind blew through, sucking the heat from their bodies. "Ugh!" Dawn cried. "Where's this coming from?"

" _Piiikaaaa_ ," Pikachu shivered, shrinking back a bit from the heat.

"Hang on, Pikachu," Ash said, opening up his shirt and putting his best friend in. "There. Now we'll both be warm."

" _Pikachu_ ," Pikachu thanked him.

 _GYAOO!_

"There it is again!" Serena cried. "Are we under attack?"

"I don't recognize the sound," Nia murmured. "Is it a foreign Pokemon?"

Ash's eyes suddenly perked. "Not to me," he replied with steely determination, fists clenched. As if in response to his words, a shadow suddenly blotted out the sun. It floated gracefully yet jaggedly to the ground, glaring at the group.

"It's Articuno!" Bonnie cried.

"Well that explains a lot," May muttered.

"Articuno!" Ash shouted, pointing at the majestic bird. "I know why you're here: Eggman's controlling you somehow, and he wants you to take us down. Well even if he can control your body, he can't control your will. I know you don't want to do this, and you don't have to. Fight back! Resist him! He doesn't own you! You don't have to fight us, and we can all go our separate ways without any needless battle. But if you do intend to challenge us, then you can rest assured we won't back down!" The legend stared down at the human in admiration as he lowered his hand. "The choice is yours," he finished. "But I think I know what's in your heart."

Serena blinked, frowning slightly. "How can he say that?" she muttered. "How can he claim to know what's in the heart of a Pokemon he may never have met?!"

"It's in his nature."

The blonde girl turned to Brock in surprise. "What?"

"He's always had the ability to see the good in everyone, even his enemies. If he thinks there's a way to convince them to abandon evil, he'll try to guide them down that path. But if not, he'll fight back with everything he's got." The Pokemon doctor smiled a bit. "He truly is one of a kind."

Serena listened, then nodded, though she still frowned. "That's also a weakness of his, if you ask me," she muttered to herself so no one else could hear.

Articuno looked at Ash as though considering his words, then shook its head and fired an Ice Beam at him. Anticipating this, he leapt to the side and somersaulted. Pikachu fell out of his jacket in the action.

"Pikachu!" he cried. Pikachu, however, was already on his feet. He ran to May and jumped into her arms to stay safe. Ash quietly thanked her and got back up to face their adversary. "I had a bad feeling you wouldn't be able to break free," he said sadly. "Don't worry. We're going to save you!"

" _KAAAAAAAAAAAA_!" was Articuno's response, as it flapped its wings and created another icy breeze. This time, Ash became numb and unable to move. Articuno raised its beak to fire another Ice Beam. But before it could unleash its attack, something grabbed its head and yanked it around.

"Let's see how long you can keep up that big attitude!" Sonic yelled as he pulled at its head.

"Sonic!" Tails exclaimed.

"Tails!" he called back. "Get everyone to Old Ferrum Town, quick! We'll take care of this bird-brain!"

"Okay," Tails nodded. "Come on, guys! Nia, can you take us?"

"Yes," she nodded. "But what about them?" she said, pointing to Ash and Sonic.

"I'll keep an eye on them," Dawn volunteered.

"Are you sure about that?" May asked.

"Yes! No need to worry! Go!" she smiled innocently.

 _No need to worry?_ May thought bitterly. _Easy for you to say. You don't know that one of us is a traitor._

"May!" Amy called, tugging her hand. "Let's go, now!"

May nodded and, after giving Ash a farewell glance, ran off. Ash watched her go, knowing what she was thinking.

 _Don't worry, May_ he thought. _If Dawn's the traitor, we'll still be okay._

"Whooaaaaaa!" Sonic cried as Articuno hurled him from its head. He fell flat on his face in the dirt.

"Are you okay?" Ash asked, rushing up to him.

"Yeah," he said, getting up and brushing himself off. "But we've got bigger problems."

Articuno attacked them again with another Ice Beam. They leapt to the side. "Try this on for size!" Sonic taunted. He leapt up, curling into a ball, and shot through the air towards the bird. In response, Articuno used Ice Beam to create a wall of ice. It was so strong, Sonic bounced off of it and slammed into the ground again. He quickly leapt back up as Ash ran up to him again.

"Dawn!" Ash called. "Can you lend us a hand?"

Dawn shook her head sadly. "My Pokeballs! That cold wind earlier must've made them malfunction!"

"What?!" he cried. He pulled out his own Pokeball. Sure enough, it was coated in ice, unusable. "Oh, no."

"Ash!" Sonic called. "Watch out!"

"Gah!" Ash cried, leaping to the side to avoid another Ice Beam attack. "That was close."

"We'll have to work together to take this bird-brain down," Sonic said.

Ash looked back at him and grinned. "I like the sound of that."

Sonic returned the grin. Then, suddenly, energy began swirling around them. "Whoaa!" they cried. "What's this?" Sonic said.

Dawn gasped in delight. "It's happening again!"

"What?"

"You're synchronizing!"

Ash's eyes widened. "Well, then," he grinned. "Let's see what we can do... _together_!"

The energy dissipated in a burst as Sonic stepped forward, once again in the form he took on when fighting Zapdos. He dashed forward and began spinning on the ground. Due to the ice Articuno created, he spun faster than normal, then shot straight at Articuno's beak. He scored a direct hit.

" _KYAAAAAAAAAAA_!" Articuno screamed, reeling back in pain. As it did so, its wings flailed wildly, creating icy cold gusts of wind. One of these sent a small shard of ice flying, nicking Ash's arm. He grunted and put his hand over the small scratch, hoping it wouldn't bleed.

"Ack!" Sonic grunted in sudden pain, clutching his arm in the same place. "What was that?"

Ash's eyes widened. _That's right!_ he thought in alarm. _If one of us gets hurt, the other one will feel pain in the same place._ He began to worry a bit. _Sonic's not as used to this transformation as I am. If something goes wrong –_

"Come on!" Sonic taunted Articuno, running around it. "Show me some escape rope action!" Articuno followed him with a hawk-like gaze, spinning as rapidly as he was.

"Looks like the pain didn't affect him too much," Ash smiled to himself. "But we still need to be careful. A wrong move will cost us."

Sonic's strategy proved effective, as he made Articuno dizzy. When it was completely disoriented, he leapt up with a powerful force and kicked it in the back of the head. The freeze Pokemon roared in pain, involuntarily firing an Ice Beam into the sky as it began to fall to the ground. Sonic continued to bash it around, using his homing attack on it to weaken it more. Ash, however, could see that Articuno had lost its drive to fight. There was no more need for battle.

"Sonic!" he called, breathing heavily as the transformation began to take its toll. "Stop!"

"Can't stop!" Sonic yelled back. "Too fast! Gotta go faster!"

"No!" Ash shouted. "It's over! We beat him! Let it go!"

"No!" Sonic yelled back again. "Can't!...stop!...gotta!...go!...!"

Abruptly he stopped. He looked disoriented for a moment, placing a hand on his head before he tumbled down Articuno's back. He fell on the ground, unconscious but largely unharmed. Similarly, Ash placed his hand on his head and fell onto his hands and knees, breathing heavily in exhaustion. He looked up and saw Sonic's unconscious form.

"Sonic…" he whispered.


	32. Chapter 32

Chapter 32: Seeds of Doubt

"Ash!"

"Huh?" Ash looked up from his position on the ground. In the heat of the brief battle, he forgot that Dawn stayed behind to keep an eye on them.

"Are you okay?" she asked, her eyes filled with worry.

"Ungh," Ash grunted, slowly standing up. "I'm fine. I – UH!" He suddenly stumbled, falling forward. Dawn caught him in her arms and stood him back up.

"Are you sure?" she asked again, still worried.

"Uhh," he moaned. "Yeah, I'm okay. It's just...the transformation takes a lot of energy when you haven't mastered it."

Dawn blinked. "You haven't mastered it? I thought you and Greninja –"

"Greninja and I have mastered it," he explained, then pointed towards his unconscious companion. "But Sonic...he hasn't mastered it yet." They walked over to him. He was out like a light. "It was too much for him."

"Will he be okay?" she asked a third time.

Ash looked at her with a smile. "No need to worry, Dawn," he said softly. "He's just exhausted." He exhaled heavily. "And so am I." He leaned down to pick up Sonic, but Dawn stopped him.

"If we need to carry him, I'll do it," she said. "You're tired. When we get to Old Ferrum Town, you're taking a nap right away."

"Yes, ma'am," he saluted her. They chuckled as they picked Sonic up and brought him along. As they walked, Ash rubbed his arm, wincing slightly.

"Ash?"

"It's nothing," he said, uncovering his arm. A small scab had formed where he got nicked by the small ice shard. "Just a little cut, that's all."

"Did it bleed?"

"A little."

She looked at him out of the corner of her eye, still worried. "You know, sometimes I think you're too strong for your own good."

"What do you mean by that?" he asked, stopping a moment to look her in the eye.

"You're so self-sufficient. You're always taking care of yourself. You never need advice in a Pokemon battle. Don't you ever worry about becoming too self-sufficient?"

Ash listened to her, then smiled softly. "I see what you mean, Dawn. But the truth is, I haven't always been so self-sufficient. When I first started my journey, I thought I could be."

"No kidding, right?" Dawn snickered as they walked along again.

"Yeah," he chuckled. "Every time I thought I could do things on my own, I got stuck in a scrape, and Misty and Brock had to bail me out. Eventually, I stopped trying to act like I could do everything on my own." His smile became nostalgic. "Ironically, that was when I really started to become independent."

Dawn smiled warmly. "That's what friends are there for, right?" she said sweetly. "To pick you up when you fall and cheer you on in battle."

"That's right," Ash nodded.

"True friends are always there for each other," she smiled. "You can always count on them, and that's why we're true friends, right Ash?"

Dawn's voice was light-hearted, but that last statement suddenly took on a darker meaning for Ash. He stopped abruptly in his tracks as his mind flew back to reality, remembering what he and May discovered not too long ago: one of their friends was a traitor. They had no clue who it was, or why whoever it was betrayed them.

 _And why should Dawn betray us?_ he thought, his mind a mix of disbelief and anger. _What could she have to gain from –?_

His eyes widened and his face paled as he flashed back to that fateful day in Sinnoh.

 _Get away from me, you creep!_

 _Dawn, wait! What did I do?!_

 _I said get away!_

 _Dawn, stop! I'm sorry! Please, let me fix this…_

 _Don't touch me, you pervert!_

 _Dawn!? How can you say that?! I don't understand –_

 _I can't believe you'd take advantage of me like that! I thought you were different from other boys. I guess I was wrong!_

 _Dawn, please! I don't understand…_

 _You're just like my father, you know that?! Maybe even WORSE!_

Those were her last words to him before she ran into the woods that day. Even though they eventually reunited to continue their journey later that day, nothing was ever the same between them. _But she said she forgave me!_ he thought. _After the conference, she forgave me! I know we can't change the past, but she said she was scared and that she didn't mean any of it. She wanted to be friends again, and so did I._ His heart began to hurt as his throat constricted. _Has she still been suffering after all this time? Did she continue to harbor pain and never tell me?_

"Ash?"

Her voice hadn't changed since last he heard it. It was enough to bring him out of the darkest corners of his mind...of his past. He blinked and registered Dawn's worried, caring gaze once again. "Are you okay?"

She blinked. "What do you mean?" Dawn asked. "Of course I'm okay! Why wouldn't I be? It's you and Sonic who I'm worried about right now."

"Ugh," Ash grunted, shaking his head. "I'm sorry. I was just remembering something unpleasant."

Dawn blinked again, confused. Then her eyes became sad when she realized what he was talking about. "Ash," she whispered, "does that still bother you?"

"Kinda," he admitted. "I've put it behind me, but there's always going to be that small splinter of guilt in my heart. What about you?"

She sighed. "Yeah, it does still bother me," she said. "I know you didn't mean anything harmful by it, though." She smiled at him in reassurance. "You remember how I forgave you, right?"

"Of course," he nodded. "And I'm pretty sure it's because of that that I haven't fallen into despair. But it still hurts."

"I know," she said sadly. "It'll always hurt a little for you, and more for me. But I've still forgiven you, haven't I?"

He smiled softly. "Yeah."

"That's what I thought," she winked. "No need to worry, right? Now come on! We're burning daylight here!" With that, she walked ahead of him, taking quick and light steps. Ash, followed closely behind. Though he was more at peace now than he was a minute ago, his mind was still plagued with doubts.

 _I know you've forgiven me_ he thought. _But is that enough for you? I want to trust you, Dawn. I really want to, because the truth is yes, you are a true friend. But if you're the one who's betrayed us…_

 _NO!_ He squeezed his eyes shut, clenching his teeth. _I can't think like that...I WON'T!_

All the while, Dawn was too focused on getting to town to notice her friend's emotional turmoil. Before either of them knew it, they'd reached Old Ferrum Town.

"Sonic!" Tails cried, rushing out to them with Knuckles right behind him. "What happened to him?"

"We synchronized again," Ash explained, "but it was too much for him, and he passed out." He wiped his brow. "I'm not doing much better."

"Will he be okay?" Knuckles asked. "This transformation doesn't have long-running side-effects, does it?"

"He'll be fine," Ash assured him. "He'll be out of it for a while, but besides that he'll be fine."

"Okay," the echidna nodded, then gestured towards the Pokemon Center. "There's a spare bed over where we are. We can lay him down there."

They followed him there and quickly settled in. As soon as Sonic was resting comfortably, Ash decided to take a rest as well. Pikachu bounded up to him and curled up on his stomach.

"Hey, buddy," he smiled, stroking his fur. "Did ya miss me?"

" _Chaaaa_ ," Pikachu squeaked happily, then he made puppy-eyes at his trainer.

"Oh, give me a break," Ash chuckled, giving him a knuckle sandwich. "I was gone for, what, an hour? Come on...we've been apart much longer than that before." They laughed, then relaxed into the bed. "Ah," Ash exhaled before he fell asleep. "I needed this."

* * *

"How's Sonic?" Misty asked as Tails walked back into the room.

"He'll be fine," the fox replied. "He just needs a good long rest."

"So does Ash, it seems," Dawn said. "That transformation took its toll on both of them."

"What?" Clemont raised an eyebrow. "Ash was tired? I thought he'd mastered the transformation."

"That's right," Serena nodded. She looked at Dawn fearfully. "What happened to him? Was he hurt?"

"He only got a small cut on his arm," Dawn replied. "Nothing serious. He was fine otherwise."

"But why would he struggle with the transformation if he'd mastered it?" Bonnie wondered aloud.

"Hm…" Max thought, putting his hand on his chin. "He mastered the transformation...with Greninja, right?"

"Right," May nodded.

"Bingo," Max smirked as he adjusted his glasses.

"Huh?" everyone looked at him in surprise. "What do you mean by that?" Serena asked.

"Ash mastered the transformation with Greninja," Max explained. "However, this is, what, the second time he's done it with Sonic? Sonic is much more inexperienced with the transformation. That must be why he passed out, while Ash was simply exhausted."

"Well, listen to you, Mr. Smarty-pants!" Bonnie teased him, getting uncomfortably close to his face. "You sure know your stuff, doncha?"

"Uh…" Max blinked, eyes wide and face red as a cherry. "Y-Yeah, I guess I do."

While Clemont looked utterly horrified at his sister's sudden move, May was having the hardest time trying not to burst out laughing. "Really, Bonnie?" Serena mumbled with a deadpan expression.

"I must say, this recipe is quite spicy," Cilan commented.

"CILAN!" Iris shouted, slamming him over the head with a mallet.

"Owch! Hey!" he retorted, rubbing his head. "That's not necessary!"

"Oh, hey!" Misty smiled as she took the mallet from Iris' hand. "You found my old mallet! Thanks!"

Everyone face-faulted.

* * *

Ash's eyes fluttered open. He looked out the window and saw stars sparkling in the sky. He looked back at his stomach and saw Pikachu still laying there, fast asleep. Careful not to wake him, he slowly picked him up, stood up, and placed him back on his pillow. He quietly backed away, making sure he was still asleep, then walked out.

There was a small balcony on one end of the center. He went out and leaned against the rusty old railing, staring up at the beautiful sky. The full moon shone down in all its radiance, bathing the balcony in a beautiful white aura. He took a deep breath, inhaling the night air, and exhaled softly.

"It's been a long time since I felt so...peaceful," he mused quietly. "Maybe when I get back home again, Mom and I can go on that vacation we talked about." He sighed as he looked down, his thoughts becoming a bit sadder. "Is she lonely?" he thought out loud. "She has Mimey and Professor Oak, and Tracey. But still," he mumbled, "I know they aren't her family. They're friends, sure, and that's the next best thing. But...how badly does she miss me? I can't help but wonder…"

"Ash?"

"Ah!" he jumped, but he quickly relaxed when he saw who came out to see him. "Oh, hey May."

"I heard about what happened with you and Sonic," May said, brushing a strand of hair out of her face as she walked up to him. "It sounded worse than it was."

"Yeah," he nodded. "That transformation took more of a toll on Sonic than it did on me. I'm used to it."

"But you were still tired," she reminded him. "Why was that?"

"Sonic hasn't mastered the transformation yet," Ash said. "So it's taking more energy from me than usual to maintain it."

"I see," May nodded. She mirrored his posture, leaning against the wooden railing. For a moment, they didn't say anything. Then she brought up that one topic that neither of them wanted to talk about: "Was Dawn any trouble?"

"No," Ash said quickly, looking straight into her eyes. "She was quick to step in and help when Sonic and I wore ourselves out. We had a little chat as we came here. I didn't tell her anything, though."

"I thought so," May smiled.

"And yet," he went on, "she was talking to me about friendship, and what it meant to her. Normally I wouldn't give that a second thought, but the way she spoke...it was almost like she was trying to get me to tell her something."

May blinked. "As in...she was manipulating?"

"That's kinda what it looked like, yeah," Ash nodded. "But what motivation would she have for that?" He looked back to the sky. "I can only think of one reason why she would betray us, but it's something both of us put behind us years ago."

May looked at him with a sad gaze and put her hand on his shoulder. "I had a similar hunch that if Dawn were the traitor, that would be her reason. But you're right: you put it behind yourselves, so it provides a weak case against her."

"Everyone has a weak case against them," Ash grumbled. "That's the problem. None of them seems to have a very compelling reason to betray us, and yet one of them has done just that." He shook his head. "I don't care who did it. I just want to know why!"

Seeing his conflicted state of mind, May sighed and hung her head. Then a thought occurred to her that hadn't before. "Ash?"

"Yeah?" he replied, looking back up at her.

"We've talked about one of our friends being a traitor," she said, "but...what about us?"

Ash blinked. "What about us?" he asked.

"I told you that one of our friends was betraying us," she explained. "Since then, has it ever crossed your mind that maybe, just maybe, _I'm_ the traitor?"

Ash didn't hesitate for even a second before shaking his head with a smile. "Absolutely not."

"Really?" May said, eyes wide. "Why not?"

He took her hand in his and gently placed it over her heart. "Because you and I have loved each other so long," he went on, "I would know if something was wrong. If you were the traitor, I would know." He dropped their hands. "What about you? Have you thought that maybe I'm the traitor?"

"Never," May shook her head with a smile. "Everything you just said about me goes the same for you: I'd know if something was off between us."

Ash smiled softly and pulled her into a soft embrace. "That's my girl," he whispered. She blushed deeply and kissed him tenderly on the cheek.

* * *

 _Smother each other all you want, you disgusting little worms...soon, you will have nothing left._


	33. Chapter 33

Chapter 33: Eggmanland

"Eggmanland must be north of here," Tails said to everyone the next morning. "My radar's pointing to the two Chaos Emeralds we don't have, and they both appear further up north in Ferrum."

"I see," a recovered Sonic nodded, leaning back in a lounger. "So that's our final destination, is it?"

"I suppose," Tails shrugged.

"Then what are we waiting for?" Ash said, pumping his fist with determination. "Let's get up there and finish the job!"

"I'm not sure it'll be that easy," Knuckles said.

"What makes you say that?" Max asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Eggman's been talking about building this place for as long as Sonic's been on his tail," the echidna explained. "If he's finally succeeded, then there's no way he'll let us in without a fight. Security's gonna be tight. There's no way we can just rush headlong in like we usually do."

Sonic listened to his friends words, then nodded. "So we need an actual plan this time," he said. "Too bad that's not my strong suite. I usually just run in and bust everything."

"We'll have to work together," Ash said.

"Don't we always do that?" Misty asked him with a deadpan expression.

"Yeah, but we're working with at least a dozen people here, Misty," Ash replied. "I know we all get along fairly well, but we still have our disagreements. Coming up with a plan of this magnitude to take Eggman down is no simple matter. The only way we'll win is if we put our heads together and work as a team."

"That's easy for you to say, Ash," Serena retorted, frowning at him with her arms folded. "It's easy to work with Pokemon like that. Humans are a different story."

"How much different?" Ash asked rhetorically. "I've worked with Pokemon and humans, and we always pull through whether we win or lose. We can do this."

"You are so naive," Serena grumbled.

Ash heard her. "What?" he said sharply.

Serena was quick to notice this, as her expression quickly softened. "Sorry," she said. "I guess I'm just nervous."

He smiled at her. "It's okay. I understand." He addressed the whole group again. "If we want to even get into Eggmanland, we'll have to know what we're up against. I think Sonic and Tails should go ahead of us and scout the premises."

"Count me in, too," Knuckles said. "Sonic's not going anywhere without someone to keep him in check."

"What, you think I can't?" Tails asked, slightly offended.

"Yeah, but you're more likely to go along with whatever he says," Knuckles replied. "Nothing personal. That's just the way you guys are."

"He does have a point, Tails," Sonic shrugged, a sheepish grin on his face.

"Whatever," Tails shrugged, a deadpan expression on his face.

"If we want to get there soon, we should go now," Knuckles clenched his fists. "Daylight only lasts so long, and Sonic's speed is crucial if we want to make it in time."

"Then what are we waiting for?" Sonic grinned, tapping his foot in excitement. "Let's go!" With that, they took off. Ash watched them go, a frown on his face.

"Don't worry, Ash," Serena smiled warmly at him. "They'll be fine. They know what they're doing."

"I know," Ash nodded, expression unchanged. "Still...I can't help but wonder…" he trailed off.

"What?" Iris asked. "What is it?"

Ash blinked as he watched his friends disappear over the horizon. "How do Tails and Knuckles keep up with him?"

Iris and Serena blinked, then sweatdropped. "And here I thought it was something serious," Misty mumbled in the background.

" _Chaaaaa_ ," Pikachu rubbed the back of his head in embarrassment.

* * *

It was an hour before noon when Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles arrived at a cliffside from which they could see Eggmanland. The massive amusement park loomed against the skyline, casting an ominous shadow over anyone who passed under its shadow. Of course, no one dared to do that, as a massive security system watched the outer wall like a hawk.

"Looks like he finally did it," Sonic growled, fists and teeth clenched.

"Not for long," Tails imitated his posture.

"Come on," Knuckles said. "We need to figure out how to take this baby down."

"Right," Tails nodded, pulling out another gadget. He held it up and pointed it at Eggmanland so its screen faced him while it scanned the landscape. He pushed buttons furiously as it did so, then a beeping sound confirmed the scan was complete. "Unbelievable," he murmured.

"Tight security?" Sonic smirked cheekily.

"Ash had no idea," Tails said. "The whole place is brimming with it!"

"The doc must really want to win this time," Knuckles muttered.

"There's no way in from the outside," Tails went on. "That would be suicide. Ugh! If only we had the Tornado NX!"

"Didn't Shadow say that Eggman would be able to take it down easily?" Sonic reminded him. "Word is his air defense is outstanding this time around."

"Security on the land and in the air," Knuckles mused. "That leaves one other option, then."

"Getting in by digging underground," Tails said, practically reading his thoughts. "But how do we pull that off?"

"Scan the ground," Sonic urged him. "Maybe there's a way through down there."

"Maybe," Tails mused, pushing some buttons to adjust his scanner. "My goodness!" he cried.

"What?" Sonic and Knuckles said in unison.

"There's an entire complex under the surface," Tails replied in shock. "It's like people have been down there before!"

"Holy cow," Sonic said, looking over Tails' shoulder. "You're not kidding."

"But how could Eggman build his amusement park over a complex like that without crushing it?" Knuckles wondered. "It's a shaky foundation."

"That's a good point," Sonic mused. Then he grinned as he cracked his knuckles. "I guess that'll make it that much easier to destroy it!"

"Don't be too hasty, Sonic," Tails admonished him. "We can't all enter from underground. It would be too predictable."

"What?" Sonic looked at his best friend with a disgruntled look. "But you guys said there was no other way to enter!"

"There isn't," Tails shook his head. "But that's assuming Eggman can detect us coming in. If we can find a way to disguise our approach, we can all come in from different directions."

"I like the sound of that," Knuckles agreed. "But how can we pull that off?"

"With this," Tails said, pulling out a large, nonfunctioning Eggrobo. "I'll repair this robot, install a tracking device, then use it to get an in-depth view of Eggman's park. We'll be able to figure the rest of our plan out from there."

"Let's do it," Sonic nodded.

It took Tails a half-hour to repair the robot. Then, with it fully functioning again, it flew to the park according to protocol. When it was out of sight, Tails activated the tracking device. A screen showed them what the robot was seeing through its eyes.

"Wow," Sonic murmured. "You've really done it this time, Eggman."

"That's enough," Tails said, shutting the device down. "My replication of Eggmanland is complete." He pulled out his scanner, updating it with the data from the tracking device. "Now, we can figure out how to get in there, get the Chaos Emeralds, and defeat Eggman."

"Call the others," Sonic ordered Knuckles with a grin. "It's time to crack this egg's shell!"

* * *

From a distance, Shadow watched as Ash and the rest of them began the long trek to Eggmanland. It was noon, and since the average human would take three hours to walk there, they would get there by 3 in the afternoon.

"Don't lose hope, Ash," he whispered. "Everyone else is counting on you."

A sudden bolt of lightning struck behind Eggmanland, even though there wasn't a cloud in the sky. Shadow looked at Ash and his friends. They didn't react at all. _So I'm the only one who saw that_ he thought.

And then he saw him.

* * *

"So that's Eggmanland," Ash said, determination surging through his veins.

"Yes," Sonic nodded. They stood where they were before, looking over the ominous park.

"I have a plan," Tails said, "but it requires Sonic to be a hedgehog. Speed is of the essence."

"How much room did you leave for error?" Max asked.

"None," Tails replied. "Eggman left me no flexibility. There's no other way."

"Then fire away," Misty said. "We're ready."

"Okay," Tails nodded. "Sonic is the key to this plan; it is imperative both that we keep him safe and that we complete this operation before the sun sets."

"That gives us about three hours, then," Knuckles noted.

"Sounds like plenty of time to me," Bonnie grinned.

"It's actually not," Tails shook his head. "By my estimate, if all goes according to plan, we only have two and a half hours."

"Is it that elaborate?" Ash asked.

"Yes. Now, the first order of business is to get Clemont, Bonnie, Max, and myself in. Clemont and I have to find a way to disable the most intense security. That will most likely take an hour in and of itself. But we can only shut it down for an hour and a half. Once we've pulled that off, the rest of you can split up and enter by air land, and through the underground passage. Break through the rest of the security, and head for the center of the park. The Chaos Emeralds are being used there as a source of energy for the park. Once we've retrieved them, we have to get them to Sonic, and he'll make a break for it."

"Do you really think Eggman won't find us at some point?" May asked.

"Honestly," Tails shrugged, "I'm counting on him finding us once we've finished up. He might not find us, but it's highly probable that he will. By the time he does, however, Sonic will have the Chaos Emeralds far away from there, which is just what we need."

"Then we can take him down ourselves," Serena nodded, also determined as she clenched her fist. "I've always wanted to give that fatso a piece of my mind."

"Then we have three hours to pull this off," Knuckles said.

"And only one shot," Brock shuddered.

"No time to lose," Ash grinned, pumping his fist. "It's time to take down the Eggman!" Everyone cheered.


	34. Chapter 34

Chapter 34: The Crisis Begins

"Do you think they're doing okay?" May asked Ash, a worried expression in her eyes.

"Honestly," Ash replied, folding his arms, "I'm starting to worry more about you than them."

She blinked and frowned. "Why's that?"

"Because that's the tenth time you've asked me that same question," he replied.

"So what?" she asked, slightly angered. "My brother's in there, and a wrong move could get him in big trouble! Wouldn't you be concerned if Pikachu were in the same situation?"

Ash's expression softened at this. "You're right," he nodded. "Sorry. I was just a little annoyed by you asking, that's all."

"I'm sorry, too," she sighed. "I'm not trying to be a pest."

"No, it's fine," he assured her. "I'd feel the same way."

May smiled softly at him, and they sat down by the edge of the cliff. Then she checked her watch. "They've been gone for 58 minutes now," she said.

"That means they have two minutes left," Ash nodded. "We should be ready to go any minute."

"I wonder if maybe they got delayed," May shuddered.

"We should still be ready to go," Ash replied.

"That's not what I meant, Ash."

He blinked, puzzled. "What do you mean?"

"I mean, what if one of them is the –?"

Ash covered her mouth, his eyes sad but firm. "Not so loud," he said. "I see what you're saying. But we can't talk about that here. The others are close by; they might hear us."

He took his hand away from her mouth. "Sorry," she said. "But if they were delayed, then do you think that could be the reason?"

"It's possible," he nodded gravely. "Though I don't see why they would do that here. Delays or no delays, we'll beat Eggman eventually." He shivered slightly. "It's the Messenger that I'm more worried about. What kind of power are they serving?"

At that moment, their phone-like device lit up and started beeping. They looked up and saw the frightening security system surrounding Eggmanland slowly shut down. Then they looked at each other and nodded with determination.

"Let's go, everyone," Ash called as they stood up. "The worst of the security is down. It's time to rock and roll!"

* * *

"Whew!" Tails said, wiping his brow. "That was stressful."

"I've never seen you get so stressed," Max observed. "Is this really that dire of a situation?"

"Eggman's been up to something big," Tails explained. "I mean, he nearly destroyed the planet, and then he built this place which he's talked about building as long as I've known him. If that doesn't qualify as dire, I don't know what does."

"Well, you weren't kidding when you said his security was intense," Clemont muttered. "I spent a lot of my youth hacking into stuff, but I've never had such a hard time breaking in like I did today."

"So when are Ash and Sonic going to come busting in?" Bonnie asked.

Tails grinned to himself. "Soon, Bonnie," he said. "Very soon."

* * *

"Okay, so everyone knows their job, right?" Ash said into the link. "Misty, Dawn and Brock, once you've gotten into the park through the underground passage, call out your Water Pokemon and begin short-circuiting anything you can. Knuckles, Iris, and Cilan, destroy anything you can. The rest of you, stay as high above the ground as you can and bust whatever comes your way. Sonic, May and I will go for the Chaos Emeralds."

Everyone replied in the affirmative. "Okay," Ash nodded. "Good luck. And remember: if you get caught by Eggman or Team Rocket, send out a distress signal. We can't afford to lose anyone, Sonic least of all!" With that, he stashed the link in his pocket. "Okay," he said, flipping his cap around. "Let's do this."

" _Pika pika_!" Pikachu agreed.

* * *

"Man, this park is huge!" Knuckles exclaimed as he pushed down another robot. "Talk about structural integrity."

"I have a hard time believing that this place is structurally sound," Cilan muttered.

"Why's that?" Iris asked.

"When Tails scanned the place, he found that it was built on top of a large underground complex," Cilan explained. "But that's physically impossible."

"With a foundation like that," Knuckles mused, "this structure should be collapsing right about now."

"On the contrary," Cilan replied. "It never should have been able to stand up in the first place! Even Eggman, with all his ingenuity, should never have been able to build such a massive structure on such a fragile foundation."

"Then he must have enlisted some form of external aid," Iris deduced. "But what could he have used?"

"Maybe it has something to do with how he nearly destroyed the planet," Knuckles suggested. "Sonic mentioned a dark energy emerging from the cracks of the planet, as well as encounters with a mysterious dark being. I can't help but wonder if the two are connected somehow."

"It seems increasingly likely," Cilan agreed. "But I suppose we'll have to wait to find out. Right now, keep on destroying this place."

"Right," Knuckles said, knocking down another pillar holding up a ceiling. The ceiling barely budged, despite no longer having support. "Strange," he mused quietly.

* * *

"Sonic!" Tails called through the link. "The center of the park is open. Hurry and get the Chaos Emeralds!"

"You heard him," Ash nodded to his friend. "Let's go!"

"I hope we're all fast enough," May murmured. "We only have ten minutes left before the security comes back on."

"No sweat," Sonic grinned, giving them a thumbs-up. "We'll make this quick!" With that, he made a break for it, with Ash and May following behind.

* * *

"Any word from the others?" Serena asked.

"Nothing yet," Amy replied. "Don't worry. I'm sure Sonic's going to be just fine."

"Probably," the blonde murmured.

* * *

Sonic and his companions managed to breach the center of Eggmanland. There, they found the last two Chaos Emeralds floating in energy-sapping containers. Without a second thought, Sonic broke the containers and snatched the emeralds.

"There," Ash nodded. "Now let's get out of here. Sonic, don't worry about us. Run as fast as you can, and don't look back."

"Roger," Sonic nodded. With that, he turned and made a break for it.

"Well, I guess we won," May smiled.

"Yes. Yes we –"

An alarm suddenly blared and red lights flashed over them. "What?!" May cried.

"What's happening?!" Ash exclaimed.

In response to their confusion, the roof over their heads slowly parted, revealing the orange sky. A shadow stood out against the sunset: a familiar shape.

Ash's eyes widened in shock. "No," he whispered. "It can't be…"

"Ash!" Tails' voice called from the link. "Eggman's security started running again faster than I thought! We need to get out of here!"

"Roger," Ash replied. "Come on, May. Let's go!"

With that, they started running out of the park. They managed to evade the intense security and get to the exit. But right after May got out, the door to the exit shut in Ash's face. He was trapped!

"Ash!" May cried.

Ash, meanwhile, tried to climb over the wall, but before he could make any progress, the shadow fell over him, revealing its form in all its horrifying glory:

"Lugia," Ash said. "Is that really you?"

"Not exactly," came the voice of Dr. Eggman from within. "I merely extracted Lugia's powers when I captured it and used them to power this new machine: the Egg-Lugia!"

As Ash got a closer look at the Lugia, he realized that the whole thing was mechanical. His eyes widened. "Then that's how you were able to control the three birds!"

"Correct you are, Ketchum!" Eggman sneered. "I must commend you and your friends for breaking through my security system and nearly destroying Eggmanland. But that ends here. With the power of the beast of the sea, I shall erase you from this planet like the foul plague that you are!"

"Hehehehehahahahaha!" came familiar laughter from within.

Ash's eyes widened. "Those voices," he said. "Can it be?" In response to his question, a hatch on top of the Lugia opened. Three all-too familiar characters ascended from here and began firing off their motto:

"Prepare for trouble, this is our victory!"

"And make it double, cuz you're history!"

"To protect the world from devastation."

"To unite all peoples within our nation."

"To denounce the evils of truth and love."

"To extend our reach to the stars above."

"Jessie!"

"James!"

"Team Rocket, blast off at the speed of light!"

"Surrender now, or prepare to fight, fight, fight!"

"Meowth, that's right!"

" _Woooobbuffet_!"

Ash clenched his fists as they returned to their positions in the machine. "Team Rocket!" he shouted. "You've been working with Eggman this whole time?!"

"That's right," Jessie grinned. "And now, with his genius, we've built a machine that completely repels all of your attacks!"

"Not even your Pikachu's Thunder can beat us now!" Meowth boasted.

"Let's test that theory," Ash growled. "Pikachu! Use Thunder, now!"

" _PIIIIIKAAAAAA...CHUUUUUUUUUUUU_!" Pikachu roared, unleashing a massive electric attack against the Egg Lugia. It harmlessly bounced off of it and destroyed something nearby.

"You'd think he'd learn not to do that," James mumbled.

"They weren't bluffing," Ash said, eyes wide with shock. "This is bad. That's our most powerful attack...even Greninja can't pull off something stronger than that."

"Well, Ketchum," Eggman sneered, "any last words?"

"Not a chance!" Ash shouted. "I don't give up that easily!"

"Well, that's your loss," the doctor snarled. "A simple goodbye would have sufficed. Now, prepare to be destroyed!" With that, the Egg Lugia began charging a blast of power in its mouth. It was almost like a Shadow Ball, only much more massive.

Ash's eyes widened. "We can't escape that thing," he whispered. He turned to his best friend. "Pikachu. Get out of here, now."

" _Pi_?"

"There's no escape. You need to go."

" _Pi Pikachu_!" Pikachu shook his head vehemently, as though to say, "Not a chance! If we go down, we go down together!"

"I'm not asking," Ash replied. "I won't let my best buddy get killed."

"Too late!" Eggman roared, and he aimed his blast at Ash. At that moment, however, a blue streak shot through the air and slammed into the Egg Lugia's head. Its aim got skewed, and the massive energy ball shot off harmlessly into the sky. "No!" he cried.

"What?" Ash said.

The blue streak somersaulted to the ground, landing on his own two feet. "Close call there, Baseball Head," he said. "That head's impenetrable. I didn't even make a dent."

"Sonic!" Ash exclaimed. "What do we do?"

"Well, I left the Chaos Emeralds with Tails, so that's not an option," Sonic shrugged. "Got any ideas?"

Ash thought for a moment. Then a grin broke out on his face. "How about we do the Greninja?"

"The what?"

Ash just winked at him. "Oh," Sonic nodded in understanding. "Right. Let's do it!"

"You got lucky that time," Eggman growled, his machine recalibrated. "But this time, there's no escape!"

"Who said anything about escaping?" Sonic taunted.

"We're going to beat you!" Ash called out.

"Then so be it," Eggman sneered. "Let's make this battle one to remember!"

"Now, Sonic!" Ash cried. They lifted up their arms as energy began swirling around them. Then, their thoughts and feelings swiftly united, and Sonic's form changed once again. Then, with an impressive leap, Sonic soared twelve feet into the air and, curling into a ball, shot straight at the Egg Lugia's head. This time, he made a small, albeit unnoticable, dent.

"GUH!" Eggman cried. "No! That actually hurt!"

"There's more where that came from!" Sonic sneered, landing back on the ground.

"You filthy little rat!" Eggman shouted. "Take this!" With that, he flapped Lugia's wings and unleashed a powerful gust of wind that knocked Sonic and Ash back.

"Ungh!" Ash grunted as his back hit the wall. "Not cool, man."

"ARGH!" Sonic groaned. "That hurt."

"Come on, Sonic," Ash urged him. "I know this transformation's exhausting, but you have to hold it together! We can do this together!"

"Right!" Sonic nodded. "Guess I'll hop up in shorter increments to take down the Eggster." With that, he dashed forward and jumped from one part of Lugia to another until he hit the head again. This time, however, the head emitted a strange shock wave that knocked Sonic back onto the ground. He hit the ground hard, and the pain carried over to Ash.

"GUH!" Ash cried. "What was that?!"

"Be careful how hard you damage my robot, Sonic!" Eggman sneered. "I included a self-destructive sonic wave in the head. If you destroy it, all of us will be obliterated!"

Ash and Sonic gasped in shock at this. However, Ash quickly recomposed himself. "Then so be it," he said.

"What?!" everyone looked at him in shock.

"If our lives are the price to save the world, then we will pay it to the last penny!"

Sonic listened, then nodded. "I'd rather it not end that way," he said, "but if that's how it must be, then I'm with Baseball Head!"

"What?!" Eggman exclaimed. "But...that's not right!"

"Zip it, Egghead!" Sonic retorted. "It's time to end your scheme once and for all!"

* * *

Outside of Eggmanland, Ash and Sonic's friends watched in horror as the Egg Lugia loomed over the two heroes. They couldn't see them, but they knew they were under attack.

"If only there was something we could do to help them!" Misty cried fearfully.

"Maybe we could break down the door blocking the exit!" Knuckles suggested.

"Then let's go," Brock agreed. "Now!"

They ran forward. Little did they know that one of their number, despite a concerned appearance, secretly was chuckling with glee at Ash and Sonic's predicament.

 _Fools_ they thought. _There is no point. Only moments remain before the light shall be blotted from the earth...FOREVER._

* * *

"GAHHHHH!" Eggman cried as Sonic struck Lugia's head once again. Another sonic wave erupted, knocking Sonic back to the ground. Regardless, he maintained his strength, staring up at the behemoth with determination.

"How much more do you think he has in him?" Ash asked.

"One more hit," Eggman snarled from within, "and all of us are doomed. I will not be destroyed today! Time to die, you fools!" The Lugia robot raised its head once again to charge another blast.

Suddenly, dark energy crackled all over it. It appeared to be malfunctioning.

"What?!" Ash and Sonic exclaimed at the same time.

One of the Lugia's wings suddenly and violently detached itself and fell to the ground. The other quickly followed, and the robot slowly but violently began to self-destruct.

"Gah!" Eggman screamed. "What's happening?!"

 _YOU HAVE FAILED ME FOR THE LAST TIME, DOCTOR._

Everyone's eyes turned towards the voice. When they saw its owner, they were in utter shock. It was a large creature with a feline appearance. Its fur was dark as the moonless night, though its tail glowed with a golden energy. A similar spike protruded from its right shoulder. Its eyes were a bright violet, slit pupils glaring at everything with malice.

Ash couldn't believe his eyes. "Is that... _Mewtwo_?" he breathed.

"Unbelievable," Sonic whispered.

The strange Mewtwo finished destroying the Egg Lugia and hoisted Eggman and Team Rocket out of it. _I need you fools no longer_ he snarled. _I WILL GRIND YOU INTO DUST!_

He dropped them to the ground from a great height. They were injured, but alive when they hit the ground. He then rose higher and higher into the sky.

"Mewtwo!" Ash cried. "What are you doing?!"

Mewtwo glared at Ash with a spiteful glare. _You call me Mewtwo?_ he snarled. _Fool! I am greater than Mewtwo. I am the perfect form of Mewtwo. Compared to me, Mewtwo is nothing._ I _am_ SHADOW MEWTWO _!_

"Shadow Mewtwo?" Ash breathed, his eyes filled with horror.

The Shadow Mewtwo shot into the sky, out of the atmosphere. _Now_ he called to the people below, _behold, as my power blots out the light from this world. Heed my words and tremble: THE REIGN OF DARKNESS IS ABOUT TO BEGIN!_

As he spoke, he slowly charged a massive ball of dark energy between his fists. When he finished, he threw the ball straight back down to earth. The ball hit the center of Eggmanland and, with a massive explosion, nearly destroyed it in seconds flat. Eggman and Team Rocket were caught in the middle of the blast, their cries of anguish lost in the ensuing madness. The dark energy sphere remained in place after the impact, sucking in anything and everything around it.

"Oh no!" Ash cried.

"Run!" Sonic screamed. The exit that was blocked opened up when the door got sucked into the energy sphere. They saw their friends there. "Everyone!" Sonic shouted. "Run for it! This whole place is about to become a wasteland!"

Suddenly, the ground beneath them all began to give away. Ash gasped. "The foundation!" he cried. "EVERYONE! GO, NOW!"

Everyone quickly began climbing out of the pit the dark energy was making. One by one, they managed to safely scale to the top. Sonic and Ash were the last ones. Just as Sonic reached the top, Ash suddenly slipped and fell down a little, but he maintained his grip.

"Ash!" Sonic called, reaching down to him. "Give me your hand!"

Ash slowly climbed back up. When he was in range, he reached for Sonic's hand. But before he could grab it, Pikachu suddenly fell of his shoulder. The dark energy sphere started to suck him into its terrifying embrace.

"PIKACHU!" Ash screamed, leaping off the wall and diving after his best friend.

"ASH!" Sonic screamed. "NO!"

In midair, Ash managed to grab his best buddy, hugging him close to his chest. At that moment, he and Pikachu entered the sphere of energy.

And then the sphere vanished. All that remained was the ruins of Eggmanland.

"No," Sonic whispered in horror. He ran down into the pit and began throwing the rubble around. "Ash!" he cried. "Ash, where are you?!" There was no response. He continued digging through the rubble, desperate to find his friend. "Ash! Come on!" he shouted. By this point, the sun was long gone from the horizon, leaving nothing but the night. "ASH!" Sonic screamed. "PLEASE! NO! NOT LIKE THIS!"

"No," Misty whispered.

"It can't be," Brock breathed in horror.

All they could do was watch as the heartbroken werehog threw the rubble around haphazardly, screaming his name. Finally, in despair and exhaustion, he fell to his knees, pounding the ground with his massive fists. "No," he whispered. Then he roared at the sky:

"NOOOOOOOOOOOO!"


	35. Chapter 35

Chapter 35: The Final Journey

All was quiet on the meadow that night. After the mysterious Shadow Mewtwo's attack, everyone returned to the meadow where Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles had scanned Eggmanland earlier that day. They made camp out there. Few words were spoken in that time, but as they began to go to sleep, the sound of quiet crying could be heard.

At least half of them cried themselves to sleep that night. Some of them were even crying _in_ their sleep.

Naturally, Sonic's physical form wouldn't let him sleep at night, but even if it could, it wouldn't make a difference. He was completely restless as he paced across the grass, growling to himself every now and again. Eventually, he became so agitated that he let out a small roar. Tails and Knuckles woke with a start at this. When Sonic saw this, his face fell again.

"Sorry," he mumbled, gesturing to his legs. "If it wasn't for this, I'd be going running right about now."

"Is that how you deal with your problems?" Knuckles asked, raising an eyebrow (or whatever he had). "Just by running?"

"Hey, to be fair, it usually works," Tails insisted. "After all, it's his greatest strength."

"Not this time."

Sonic and Tails looked at him surprised. "Huh?"

"You can't run this time, Sonic," Knuckles went on. "Your speed is gone, and your heart is trapped. Speed alone can't save you from that. The only thing you can do is fight."

"What are you saying?" Sonic asked, puzzled.

"I'm saying that our battle isn't over yet. Eggman was just Mewtwo's pawn. Whatever Mewtwo's plan is now, we have to stop it."

"But how?" Tails asked. "You saw what kind of power Mewtwo has. How can we possibly hope to stand against that?"

"We have all seven Chaos Emeralds, don't we?" the echidna replied.

"That's true," Sonic murmured.

"But that's still not enough."

"What?" the other exclaimed, surprised once again.

"Speed can't save us," Knuckles continued, "and neither can unlimited power. We need more than that. We need unity. We need a bond that can't be broken. We need the power to come together as one and break the darkness with an unquenchable light."

Sonic and Tails looked at their friend, more puzzled than ever. Knuckles returned their gaze with a very serious expression as he finished his speech:

" _We need Ash_."

Sonic and Tails cringed at that. "Knuckles," Tails said, "Ash is gone. He got sucked into that void that Mewtwo created."

"Then we'll follow him there," Knuckles declared, holding up a fist. "We'll bring him back, and with his help, we _will_ stop Mewtwo!"

"How do you know there's even something on the other side of that void?" Tails replied. "For all we know, it could just be oblivion!"

"No," Sonic shook his head. "Knuckles is right. Even if there's nothing on the other side, we can't give up on Ash without at least trying. He wouldn't give up on us like this, so we won't give up either!"

"Then what do you propose we do?" Tails asked.

"We leave immediately," Knuckles replied. "There's no time to lose."

"But we need a plan to follow," Tails insisted.

"I have a plan," Sonic replied, starting to walk away. " _Follow me_. Together, we're going to set Ash free!"

"You really think so?" Tails asked.

"Trust me," Sonic nodded, pumping his massive fist. "Together, we will find him and help him escape! Now let's go!" With that, he ran as fast as he could.

"You really think we'll make it through?" Tails asked Knuckles.

Knuckles just smirked. "Ohhhh, yeah."

* * *

It was still the middle of the night when someone in the camp woke up. They looked around and noticed that Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles were gone. Curious, they continued to look around and came across a note:

 _Hey guys._

 _Tails, Knuckles, and I are going to find Ash and save him from Mewtwo. We don't know where we're going right now, but if we can get in contact with you, we will. Later!_

Furious, they slammed the note back on its place and stormed back to their bed. "Still holding onto hope, are they?" they snarled. "Fine, then. It doesn't matter. They can't stop the darkness: not now, oh no. It's _far_ too late for that."

* * *

Sonic and his friends moved slowly across the landscape, searching for anything that could help them find their lost friend. "I said we needed a plan," Tails said, "and you didn't listen. Now look at us! We're wandering aimlessly!"

"Even if we had a plan," Knuckles insisted, "we'd still be wandering. We have no idea where to go."

"Then we look everywhere," Sonic said. "I won't rest until I've found the answer."

"There's the Sonic we know," Knuckles grinned. At that moment, the sun peeked over the horizon. The sky was starting to light up, and Sonic's form slowly reverted back to normal.

"No, check that," Tails grinned likewise. " _There's_ the Sonic we know."  
Sonic smiled at his friends. "Thanks, guys," he said. "There's a reason I call you guys my best friends." He held out his fist, and they did a three-way fist bump. "Well, we better keep moving. We can cover a lot more ground now."

 _Still wasting time, hedgehog?_

They jumped on hearing the voice. Hovering over them was the mysterious Shadow Mewtwo.

"You!" Sonic shouted, pointing at him. "Where's Ash? What have you done with him?!"

 _Heheheheheheheh_ Mewtwo sneered. _You truly believe your precious Ash is still alive? You watched my attack swallow him up. Why do you still hold onto hope?_

"We won't give up on him," Sonic replied, fists clenched at his sides, "just like he wouldn't give up on us!"

 _Hmph!_ Mewtwo grunted, folding his arms. _Insolent hedgehog. Very well. Your precious Ash is still alive._ Their eyes widened in excitement. _I am sparing his life...for the moment._ His eyes glowed with dark energy. _But he cannot escape. From now on, he belongs...TO ME._

"Oh, really?" Knuckles growled, punching his fists together.

"You won't get away with this!" Tails shouted.

"You may have taken him as a prisoner," Sonic grit his teeth, "and you may have bound him, but you will never keep him! I've seen him break the worst kind of bonds anyone can put on him, and he'll break your bond, too!"

Mewtwo looked down at the trio with amusement. _Your determination is admirable_ he said sincerely. _But it makes little difference._ He turned his back to them. _Don't fret yourselves. I don't wish to_ kill _Ash._

"What?" they murmured, puzzled. Sonic looked uneasy.

 _It'd be a pity to take such a valuable life_ Mewtwo chuckled darkly, turning his head back to them. _He'll be far more valuable to me..._ _ **as a vessel for my power.**_ _HehehaHAHAHAHAHA!_ He laughed maliciously as he shot across the sky towards a distant mountain.

"NO!" Sonic screamed in horror. His eyes narrowed in anger, and he leapt headfirst down the cliff they stood on. Tails and Knuckles swiftly followed.

* * *

Shadow looked around him, observing the ancient mountain with curiosity. "What a strange place," he murmured.

"It's the Dragon's Nest," Cynthia explained, slowly rubbing the ground with her hand. She picked up a pinch of dust and examined it. "This is a sacred place. There are few who know of its existence, and fewer still who can brave the treacherous climb to reach it."

"So why are we here?" he asked.

"There's a large reservoir of Gaia energy in this mountain," she said. "It's an ideal place to conduct research."

 _I'm afraid your project's going on hold...INDEFINITELY._

"Oh no!" Shadow exclaimed.

Shadow Mewtwo flew over their heads and came to a stop, hovering slightly above them and looking at them with contempt. _We meet again, Shadow the Hedgehog_ he sneered. _I don't suppose you wish to fight me once again?_

"You know the answer to that," Shadow growled. "But let's cut the banter short. Why are you here?"

 _Oh, I didn't come for you_ the sinister Pokemon chuckled. _You are no longer a threat to me, though I must confess you were the closest competition for a while. No. I came here to lure a few of your friends into a trap._

"A trap?" Cynthia's eyes widened.

"What sort of trap?" Shadow asked uneasily.

 _They're hunting me down, and so I shall lead them into my own dimension!_

"What?!" Cynthia cried.

"Relax, Cynthia," Shadow said. "I'm guessing the 'friends' he's talking about include Sonic. He might be an idiot at times, but even I can say that he's not stupid enough to follow you blindly into oblivion."

 _I suppose you're right_ Shadow Mewtwo chuckled darkly. _But if you give them the proper motivation_ he hissed, putting his palms together and pulling them apart, revealing an image, _they'll do whatever you ask._

Shadow looked at the image. His eyes widened in horror. "No...it can't be!"

"Ash?" Cynthia whispered.

The image faded. _Their precious Ash is my prisoner! With him in my dimension, nothing will stop that foolish hedgehog from following us there!_

Shadow's horror swiftly gave way to rage as he glared up at the evil Pokemon with hatred. "You..." he snarled. "You dare harm Ash?! I'LL FLOOD THIS WHOLE MOUNTAIN WITH YOUR BLOOD!" He leapt up and kicked Mewtwo square in the chest. Mewtwo was caught off-guard and got slammed into a wall, but he quickly recovered, hovering menacingly over them again.

 _So_ he growled _you still have some fight left in you after all, hm? Then perhaps you can spare some for my little friend!_ His eyes began to glow brightly as a loud roar shook the whole mountain. Then, a large patch of ground cracked as something began to emerge from beneath. Then, with a massive explosion of dust, a huge, black, serpentine dragon erupted into the air and flew around menacingly before coming back down to face Shadow. Its eyes glowed a bright lavender rather than its usual golden.

"A Rayquaza!" Cynthia exclaimed.

 _Normally I'd wait to let you meet your demise properly_ Shadow Mewtwo sneered. _But you've been a thorn in my side too long, Shadow. Rayquaza! Destroy him!_

Rayquaza reared its head back, a massive ball of energy forming in its mouth. Then, with a mighty roar, it threw the ball of energy at Shadow. He leapt out of the way, but the impact left a massive crater in its wake. "That power!" Cynthia cried.

 _Rayquaza's already a powerful beast as he normally is, especially in THIS, his Mega form! But with my power added to his, he is invincible!_

Cynthia reached inside her signature trench coat and pulled out a Pokeball. "Forgive me if I test that theory," she said with determination. "Go, Garchomp!" She threw the ball and released her most powerful Pokemon.

" _Garrr_!" Garchomp snarled.

"Okay, Garchomp! Let's give this monster a taste of true power. Use Dragon Rush!"

" _Graaaaaaaa_!" Garchomp roared, shooting forward as a light blue aura enveloped her body. She slammed into Rayquaza, and the legendary dragon roared in pain.

 _What?!_ Shadow Mewtwo exclaimed. _You...you actually caused him pain? Impossible!_

"Nothing is impossible," Cynthia replied, brushing a strand of hair out of her eyes.

 _Hmph. It makes no matter. I will still destroy you all the same!_ With that, Rayquaza reared back its head once again and fired another blast of energy. It struck Garchomp in the chest and knocked her back, clearly taking a toll. Then the dragon swung its tail at her, knocking her to the side.

"Garchomp! No!" Cynthia cried, running up to her.

 _Face it, puny human_ Mewtwo sneered. _What hope have you to defeat the two most powerful Pokemon in the world? Rayquaza! Finish them off!_

Rayquaza rose into the sky, leered down at that, and prepared to fire a Hyper Beam. It fired, and Cynthia and Garchomp braced themselves for the worst. But the beam stopped just short of hitting them, being held back by a source of immense power.

 _What?!_ Shadow Mewtwo exclaimed again. _What is this?!_

"I may be weak," the voice of Shadow growled, "but I can still defend against even the most powerful attack! And by my promise...I WILL!" With that, he condensed the Hyper Beam into his hands and shot it straight back at Rayquaza, knocking it into the stone wall. Defeated, the powerful Pokemon fell and dissolved into nothingness.

"What?" Cynthia whispered, looking at where it used to be. "It just...disappeared."

 _My own creation_ Shadow Mewtwo said. _I thought perhaps pure dark energy would be able to put an end to your resistance. Seems I was wrong. But it makes little matter. I just needed to find something to do while I waited for your friends to show up. All that time spent in my dimension with nothing to do...it's always nice when a fight breaks out, wouldn't you agree? Though, to be frank, I prefer fights where someone dies in the end._

"You," Shadow growled, panting heavily. "Do you have no respect for life? Why do you kill like this? What made you into such a monster?"

 _Monster?_ Mewtwo glared at him. _You dare call me monster? Hmph. But I suppose it's only fair that I answer your question._ _ **NO.**_ _I have no respect for any life whatsoever. Everything in this world exists for me, and for me alone. I use it and dispose of it as I see fit. So if you want to get on my good side, I suggest you lay down and die!_

Shadow and Cynthia were in shock. "How…" Cynthia whispered. "How can you live like that? How can you –?"

"Save your breath, Cynthia," Shadow stopped her. "There's no reasoning with him. He's far beyond the point of no return. There's only one way to end his madness: we have to destroy him."

 _I'm afraid that's impossible_ Mewtwo sneered. _I am the most powerful Pokemon in the world. You cannot defeat me. What power do you have that can match my own?_

"I don't know," Shadow admitted. "But I know that, one way or another, we _will_ defeat you."

 _So sure, are you?_

" _Watch_ me," Shadow growled, stepping forward. "It'll be easy: like killing a flower."

 _Then why don't you show me_ Mewtwo replied, fading away, _in my own dimension._

Shadow watched as Mewtwo faded away, clenching his fists. "Damn it," he cursed, then turned back to Cynthia. "We have to stop him."

"How?" Cynthia asked. "We can barely lay a scratch on him."

"We have to go into his dimension," he replied. "If we can defeat him on his home turf, there will be no escape for him."

"Even if we could get to his dimension –"

"Without the Chaos Emeralds, that's impossible," Shadow growled. "But how can we get them in time?"

"Just say please!"

The two of them whirled around to see Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles standing to the side. "Sonic!" Cynthia exclaimed.

"Hey there, Cynthia!" Sonic winked. "Long time no see, right?"

"Right," she chuckled.

"What are you doing here?" Shadow asked.

"We were following Shadow Mewtwo," Tails explained. "He kidna–"

"I know, I know," Shadow interrupted him. "He told me everything." He folded his arms and closed his eyes, turning away slightly. "I suppose you plan to go after him."

"Yeah," Sonic nodded. "What else can we do?"

"Nothing," Shadow shook his head. "But I have to warn you: Mewtwo told me that this is a trap. Ash is the bait."

"It doesn't matter," Sonic replied. "Without him, we stand no chance against Shadow Mewtwo. We have to save him."

"So how do we find him?" Knuckles wondered, kicking a rock.

"He's in another dimension," Shadow explained. "The only way to get to him is with a dimensional rift. You're going to need –"

"Lemme guess," Sonic smirked. "We need Chaos Control."

"Yes," Shadow nodded. "How many emeralds do you have?" Sonic closed his eyes, and the Chaos Emeralds appeared around him. Shadow's eyes widened. "All seven," he said.

"You think this'll be enough?" Sonic asked.

"More than enough, maybe," Shadow said. "You could probably create two dimensional portals with all of these."

"Hm," Tails mused. "Maybe we should make one for our friends back at the meadow."

"Is that really a good idea, though?" Knuckles asked. "There could be trouble."

"No," Sonic shook his head. "Everyone has a stake in this mission. We'll bring them along. Then, with all of us together, we'll find Ash and save him."

"Count me in, too," Shadow stepped forward. "I may not be at full power, but I still have enough to lend some help."

"Then what are we waiting for?" Sonic grinned. With that, the Chaos Emeralds rose into the air, and Sonic and Shadow raised their hands up. Then, they simultaneously cried:

"CHAOS CONTROL!"

A massive, swirling vortex of dark energy emerged before them. Sonic turned to his friends with determination. "This is it," he said. "When we enter this portal, we should be in Mewtwo's dimension. From there, our goal is clear: find Ash, save him, and defeat Shadow Mewtwo."

"Let's do it," Tails nodded.

"For Ferrum," Knuckles said, "and for the whole world."

"For the people we love," Shadow nodded.

"And most of all," Sonic said, turning to the portal, fists and teeth clenched, "FOR ASH!" With that, they leapt into the portal. Cynthia stayed behind and watched as the portal vanished.

"Be strong, Sonic," she whispered, a hand over her heart.


	36. Chapter 36

Chapter 36: Freedom and Betrayal

"I sure hope they're okay," Amy said to herself, sitting on a small rock with Sonic's letter.

"I'm sure they're fine," Misty assured her. "I'm much more worried about Ash and Pikachu."

"I hope he's okay," May whispered, holding her half of their ribbon on her heart.

Suddenly, a gleam of light shone above them all. Then it expanded into a dark portal.

"What's that?" Bonnie exclaimed.

"I don't know," Clemont shivered, "but it looks dangerous."

The portal began to suck them in. "Uh-oh," May murmured.

"Run," Brock said. "RUN!"

Everyone started running, but Bonnie, being small, slipped and started to get sucked away. "No!" Max cried, grabbing her hand and pulling on her to try and save her. Unfortunately, it was no use, and they both got sucked in.

"Bonnie!" Clemont cried.

"Max!" May screamed.

One by one, everyone else got sucked into the portal before it disappeared. The meadow was silent once more.

* * *

Darkness surrounded Sonic and his friends. Sinister energy crackled in the air. The whole atmosphere looked like a swirling vortex. The darkness was more than just the absence of light here: it was tangible and real.

"This place," Sonic said, "this is where Mewtwo is?"

"There can be no doubt about it," Shadow answered him. He looked Sonic over. "Looks like the dark atmosphere's got you stuck again."

"Yeah," Sonic grumbled. When they entered the portal, he turned into a werehog again.

"If I had to venture a guess," Tails said, "I don't think you'll be able to reverse back to being a hedgehog until we leave."

"Or we find a way to cure it," Knuckles muttered.

"Don't worry about me right now, guys," Sonic replied. "We have to find Ash."

"But where do we go?" Tails asked, looking around. "There's such a wide expanse before us! It's even worse than last night!"

"We have to start somewhere," Sonic said. "If Ash is in this realm, then we will find him!" With that, he set forth, followed by Tails and Knuckles. Shadow, meanwhile, stayed behind and closed his eyes.

"He's here, all right," he nodded. "But I have a feeling that there's only one who can find him." His eyes shot open again. "And that means trouble." With that, he disappeared.

* * *

"Max?" May called as she got up from the ground. It was cold as ice. "Max, where are you?" There was no response. She looked around, puzzled. "Misty? Cilan? Serena?" she called. Still no response. "I guess we got separated," she sighed. "Well, I hope they're okay." She shivered as a chilling breeze blew past, whistling sinisterly as it blew. "What a strange place." Her eyes widened. "Could this be where Ash is?" Her eyes lit up in hope. "Ash!" she called. "Ash, are you here? It's me, May!" She ran forward excitedly, calling his name while a sinister figure, hidden in the shadows, glared at her with hatred.

 _The light_ the Messenger growled angrily. _It burns...BURNS! You...you will die...yes...you will...you will DIE!_

* * *

 _Whom are you looking for?_

Shadow stopped a moment, then turned and saw Shadow Mewtwo standing not far from him with a sinister leer. "You know who I'm looking for," he growled. "Where's Ash?"

Mewtwo just chuckled. _**I am.**_

Shadow clenched his fists at that, then turned away, only to see Shadow Mewtwo above him once again. _Whom are you looking for?_ he asked again.

"I won't answer again," Shadow snarled. "Now where is he?!"

 _Hmhmhmhmhmhm_ Mewtwo sneered. _I just told you that_ _ **I am.**_ _Why continue your search if you have found what you were searching for?_

"SHUT UP!" Shadow roared, unleashing a Chaos Spear. Mewtwo easily deflected it. "Don't speak as if you and Ash are the same, you monster!"

 _What?_

"I know Ash," Shadow said. "He's not a weak human like the rest of his kind. He is strong, kind, devoted, and courageous to the death. I've always held humans in contempt, believing them to be weak and selfish. I once believed that all humans were that way. But when I first met Ash, his courage and selflessness told a different story. When we parted ways that day, I began for the first time to question my own beliefs. He is one of the few humans I have respect for."

 _Hmph. You know nothing, you naive little hedgehog._

"It is YOU who knows nothing!" Shadow shouted. "You know nothing of Ash. You have nothing in common with him. You are cruel, manipulative, and willing to kill anything that stands in your way. Ash is nothing like that. Don't say to me that you are Ash Ketchum, you fiend. You're nothing but a monster, and you will pay for making him suffer the way you have!"

 _Pay?_ Mewtwo chuckled in amusement. _Oh, you amuse me, Shadow. You still fail to understand: Ash Ketchum doesn't belong to you anymore. He belongs to_ me.

"Oh, does he?" Shadow growled, clenching his fist and getting into a battle stance. "Well, I guess it's a good thing I'm not above thievery!" With that, he leapt up, curled into a ball, and shot straight at Shadow Mewtwo, striking the spike on his shoulder.

 _GAHHHHHHH!_ Mewtwo roared in pain. _You...YoU...I wIlL..KiLl yOu, sHaDoW ThE hEdGeHoG!_ With that, he unleashed a massive blast of energy in all directions. Shadow had no chance to dodge it and got violently thrown to the ground. He grunted weakly as Mewtwo closed in for the kill. _DeAtH...iS...mErCy...fOr YoU...yOu...DeSeRvE...wOrSe! I wIlL...DeStRoY...eVeRyThInG yOu lOvE!_ With that, he began forming a ball of dark energy in his palms. Then, when it was fully charged, he fired it at the downed hedgehog. Weak as he was, Shadow had no chance to dodge, and the blast hit. When the dust settled after the impact, he was gone. _fInAlLy...sHaDoW iS dEaD…_

"What have you done?!"

He turned sharply to see a familiar brunette looking at him in horror and anger. _YoU_ he snarled.

May clenched her fists in anger. "Where's Shadow?!"

 _DeAtH...dEaTh Is...mErCy...FOR ALL!_ Mewtwo roared, unleashing another blast of dark energy. May leapt to the side and dodged it.

"If that's what you call mercy, then I have none to spare!" May shouted, pulling out a Pokeball. "Blaziken! Let's make this monster pay for what he's done!" She threw the ball, unleashing her most powerful Pokemon.

" _Blazzzz_ ," she growled, glaring at Mewtwo.

 _YoU cAnNoT...dEfEaT mE_ Mewtwo snarled. _ThIs iS...mY wOrLd nOw!_ With that, he shot forward and slammed Blaziken with his tail, knocking her back. She got back up, a small flame on her foot. Then she leapt up into the air and kicked Mewtwo square in the chest, knocking it into the sky. Mewtwo swiftly recovered and shot back, firing several arrows of darkness. These didn't faze Blaziken too much, but they still took a toll on her stamina. She looked up and fired a jet of flames at Mewtwo. Mewtwo dodged, but the tip of his tail got caught in the flames. Taking advantage of this, he pulled the fire into his hand and shot it back at Blaziken. But the powerful fire-type just kicked it back, smacking him in the face. Angered, Mewtwo shot back to the ground and waved his hands around. Then a dark vortex erupted and consumed Blaziken. When it vanished, she was kneeling down on one knee, panting. Small embers began to crawl all over her body.

 _SuRrEnDeR_ Mewtwo growled, _aNd YoUr lIfE WiLl bE SpArEd._

"Just how stupid do you think I am?" May retorted. "Besides, Blaze just kicked in!"

 _WhAt?!_

"Blaziken may be weaker now, but her attacks become even stronger because of that! Blaziken! Overheat, now!"

" _KENNNNNNNNNN!_ " Blaziken roared, unleashing a massive jet of flames that consumed Mewtwo.

 _GAHHHHHHHHHH!_ Mewtwo screamed. Then the flames dissipated, revealing a weaker but much angrier Shadow Mewtwo. _I sWeAr...bY mY OwN pOwEr_ he snarled, _I wIlL...rIp yOuR HeArT oUt!_ With that, he brought his hands together and charged a massive energy beam. May and Blaziken jumped to the side right as it fired off harmlessly into the void.

"Blaze Kick, now!" May shouted. Blaziken obeyed and slammed the recovering Mewtwo in the back of the head with a furious flaming foot. Mewtwo fell forward, and dark energy surrounded him.

 _ThIs iSn'T oVeR_ he snarled as he faded. _I wIlL...kIlL yOu!_ Then, with an explosion of energy, he vanished. May held up her arm to shield her eyes. When she lowered her arm again, she saw that Mewtwo had vanished.

"He's gone," she whispered. She turned to Blaziken. "Great job, Blaziken. Return." She recalled him and looked around. "But...what now?"

"M-May…"

Her eyes widened. "That voice…"

"May...over here…"

"Could it be?"

"Ugh...it hurts…"

A smile erupted on her face. "It is! ASH!" She ran up to where Mewtwo had been a moment ago and found the trainer and his Pikachu lying there, weary but whole. She bent down and picked him up into a tight embrace. He returned it as best he could. "I'm so glad you're okay," she whispered.

"Me too," he replied, easing out of the embrace as he quickly stood up. "I feel much better now."

"What happened to you?" she asked.

"After Pikachu and I got sucked into this dimension," he explained, "Mewtwo bound us and tried to force us to fuse with him. I don't know what he wanted, but it was not fun."

"Did it work?"

"Not exactly. Our life energies ended up fusing with him, but they didn't mix. That's what caused his mental instability in those battles. He couldn't control all of that power at once." He smiled at her. "Thanks for saving me, May."

"Of course," she smiled, hugging him again. "I'm just glad you're okay."

"Same here," Ash nodded. They eased out, gazed into each other's eyes, then slowly moved their faces towards each other. Their lips were millimeters away –

"AUGH!"

Ash's eyes shot open at May's sudden scream. "What is it?! What happened?!"

"Augh," May groaned, clutching her abdomen. She fell forward into Ash's arms. He caught her and cradled her.

"May, what happened?!" he asked. "MAY!" Then he saw her chest: blood was all over it. "Oh, no!" he cried. "What happened?!"

 _Do you see it now?!_

His eyes widened. He looked up and saw the Messenger standing there, holding a bloodied knife. "YOU!" he screamed.

 _Yes_ the Messenger sneered. _Now you see what it is to be betrayed...to lose the one you love!_ Ash leapt at them, but they vanished. _Soon, all those you love will be taken from you. You will have no one left._

"NO!" Ash screamed, looking around wildly. "Where are you?!" There was no response. He turned back to May, terror in his eyes, and cradled her once again. "May, please, stay with me!"

"Ash…" she whispered weakly. "I...I can't…"

"May, NO!" Ash cried. "You can't leave! Not like this!"

"I'm...sorry…" she exhaled. Her eyes closed, and her hand went limp.

"No," Ash whispered. "Please, wake up! May! May!" There was no response. He tightened his grip on her body, fighting tears, then screamed at the sky: "MAYYYYYYYYYYY!"


	37. Chapter 37

Chapter 37: The Truth

Misty walked around in the darkness alone, fearful for herself, but more so for her friends, particularly one friend who, as far as she knew, was still trapped. "Ash," she whispered. "Please be okay."

"Misty!"

She perked on hearing that voice. "Brock?"

"Over here!"

She ran towards the voice and found Brock and everyone else who had been sucked into this dimension standing in a large open field. "Brock!" she exclaimed. "You guys! You're all okay!"

"And so are you!" Bonnie cheered. "We were worried about you!"

Misty looked around, and her smile faded. "But...where's Ash? Did anyone find him?"

"I'm afraid not," Cilan said sadly. "We got separated coming into this dimension, and then nobody found him."

"I guess we were more focused on finding each other," Iris admitted. "We don't know if he's here or not."

"He's got to be," Misty said. "I can feel it."

"She has a point," Dawn shrugged. "But we've got more problems than that. May's not with us either!"

"What?" Misty exclaimed. "But...where is she?"

"I'm sure we'll find her," Max smirked. "And hey, if anyone can find Ash, she can."

"That still doesn't tell us where they are, though," Clemont mumbled.

"Wait, guys! Look!" Amy cried, pointing in a direction. Everyone looked and gasped.

"It's Ash!" Brock exclaimed.

"He's okay!" Misty said joyfully, then she ran up to him. "Ash! Ash, you're okay! I was so worried!" By this point, she was right in front of him. Now that she got a closer look, she saw that his head was down, eyes shaded by his hat, and a trembling frown was on his face. Pikachu had a similar expression on his face. "Ash?" she said again. "Is something wrong?" He didn't respond. "Ash, it's me, Misty," she said.

"I know," he replied softly. "I...need a moment."

"What is it?" she asked.

"Hey, have you seen my sister?" Max asked. Ash clenched his teeth and sniffed. Max looked confused. "Ash, what's going on?"

"May –" Ash started to say, but his words caught in his throat. He sniffled, then continued. "She's...she's…"

Max's eyes widened in horror. "N-No," he whispered. "You don't mean…"

"She's gone," Ash said, forcing the words out of his mouth.

"No," Max breathed in horror as tears began to well up in his eyes. "No!" He ran back and collided with Bonnie. He tried to run past her, but she caught his wrist and pulled him into a tight hug. Max didn't bother running away as he cried into her shoulder.

"Ash," Misty whispered, eyes glimmering, "I'm so sorry. I –"

"Just leave me alone," Ash retorted turning and walking away. Misty watched him go as she rejoined the rest of the group.

Ash, meanwhile, stood there, eyes still shaded by the brim of his hat as he quietly resigned himself to what had happened. "It's like you said," he said softly, holding his heart. "We're going to be okay, no matter what happens." As he continued to look at the ground, he heard a crackle of energy and a subsequent explosion. He twitched. Curious, he looked up and saw his friends. Brock had apparently been hit by some form of attack, and though he was uninjured, he was visibly shaken.

"Are you okay?" Ash asked in concern, though not panicked.

"Yeah," Brock shuddered, standing up with Misty's help.

"Something tried to attack us all!" Misty exclaimed.

"Really?" Ash said in surprise. "That's...odd."

"Odd?" Misty exclaimed. "Is that all you can say?!"

"You know what's odd?" Clemont said in confusion. "Why didn't Ash get caught in the attack? If that attack was meant for the whole group, why didn't it go for him?"

"What are you saying?" Brock asked, puzzled. "You don't mean –" If he had eyes, they would've been wide with shock. "You're not saying –?!"

"That can't be!" Misty cried. "Ash would never do that to us!"

"No, he wouldn't," Dawn said softly. "He couldn't even be capable of that, could he?"

"No."

Everyone turned to the voice's owner, hitherto quiet, as she stepped forward. "It all makes sense now," Serena continued, glaring at him. "This was all a trick, wasn't it, Ash?"

"What?!" Ash exclaimed. "What are you talking about?!"

"When you got sucked into that ball of energy Mewtwo made, that wasn't a selfless act for Pikachu. It was your way of getting all of us into this horrible place so you could kill us all!"

"WHAT?!" everyone cried in shock and horror. "Serena, how can you say that?!" Clemont exclaimed.

"Ash would never do that!" Bonnie cried. "I can't believe he would even think of it!"

"And yet if that's true," Clemont murmured, "why wasn't he attacked?"

"I don't want to believe this any more than you guys do," Serena said, looking remorseful, "but I can't see any other logical explanation. Ash must be the traitor we've been looking for all along."

"NO!" Misty cried in horror. "That can't be true!"

"I don't believe it, not for a second!" Brock said defiantly. "Ash Ketchum, our hero and friend: a traitor?! He would never betray us!"

"And yet that may just be the perfect cover-up," Iris murmured. "But how can that be?"

"It's not true!" Dawn shook her head, tears forming in her eyes. "There's no way! He would never do that!"

"I fail to see how this can be," Cilan muttered.

"None of this makes sense!" Misty cried. "How could he do this?!"

"He wouldn't," Brock replied.

"No," Misty shook her head. "But then how did all this happen? It couldn't have been him!"

"There must be a better explanation!" Cilan exclaimed.

"But what?" Iris said. "I don't see any other logical explanation!"

"Neither do I," Clemont agreed. "And yet...at the same time...why would he do this?"

"This is horrible!" Dawn cried. "Horrible, horrible, horrible! Please, this can't be true!"

"I don't understand!" Brock cried.

"ENOUGH!"

Everyone froze. Then they turned towards the voice's owner. "Ash?" Misty whispered.

"Is it...true?" Brock asked.

"Wait," Serena said, holding her hand up to stop them. "Let him speak for himself. Go on, Ash. Tell them the truth!"

Ash looked them all in the eye, then sighed heavily. "Okay," he said. "You all deserve the truth. What Serena said...all those awful things she said about me being a traitor…"

"Yes?" Misty nodded expectantly.

He looked at them with a grave expression. "There is some truth in it all."

Everyone gasped and began murmuring among themselves. "Please, listen," Ash continued. "I need you all to hear what I have to say before you jump to any conclusions." When he was sure he got their attention once again, he went on. "Ever since we arrived in Ferrum, May and I have kept a secret: a secret we discovered on our way here. You all remember what Shadow said, right?" Everyone tried to remember, but couldn't. "He said that the Chaos Emerald in the center of the boat would make us invisible to anything outside the field. It would keep us safe to land in Ferrum without Eggman noticing." Everyone nodded as their memories were jogged. "But when we got close to Ferrum, a servant of Mewtwo known as the Messenger appeared and threatened me. May and I were the only ones who saw them before they disappeared."

"But how did they find the boat?" Bonnie asked. "We were invisible, weren't we?"

"We were," Ash nodded. "The field protected us from what was outside the field, but _not_ from what was inside." Everyone gasped. "Someone on the boat had to have told the Messenger our location in order for them to find us. That was when May and I realized that someone in our group was betraying us."

"A traitor?" Misty whispered.

"I don't believe it," Brock breathed. "But why didn't you tell anyone before?"

"Because," Ash went on, "I knew that if everyone knew there was a traitor in our group, it would cause division and tear us all apart. That's why we kept it a secret: so we could expose the traitor by working together in secret."

"But...why are you telling us all this now?" Dawn asked, puzzled.

He looked into her eyes with a serious expression. "Because it doesn't matter anymore. I know now who our traitor is."

"You do?" Iris blinked.

"Yes."

"But how did you find out?" Bonnie asked, confused.

He grit his teeth. "Because she told me so herself."

"Quit beating around the bush, Ash," Serena snapped impatiently. "Tell us! Who's this mysterious traitor you're talking about?"

He turned his gaze to her. "Don't rush me, Serena," he replied. "But before I do that, I'd like to ask _you_ a question."

"M-Me?" Serena blinked uneasily.

"Yes."

"O-Okay...what is it?"

He looked her straight in the eye. "How did you know?"

She blinked in confusion. "What?"

"How did you know there was a traitor in our group?"

"What do you mean how did I know?" she replied. "How could I have known there was a traitor if you kept it a secret from everyone?"

"Because there actually was one other person who knew that there was a traitor."

Everyone perked. "Who?" they all asked in quiet anticipation.

He glared at Serena with a menacing gaze. " _And that's the traitor herself_."

Everyone gasped. "What?" Clemont breathed.

"S-Serena?" Iris blinked. "Is it...true?"

"Is he right, Serena?" Bonnie blinked, tears on the brims of her eyes. "Did you betray us?"

"No!" Serena shouted. "That's ridiculous! Why would you think I'm the traitor?! You don't have any proof! Besides, I didn't know there was a traitor! Why would you think that?!"

"Because you said it yourself!" Ash shouted at her.

"When?!" she retorted.

"Minutes ago," he replied. "When everyone was trying to figure out why that mysterious attack hit you guys but not me, you pointed your finger at me."

"But...it made sense to me!" Serena protested. "I didn't know...I'm sorry! Don't go throwing blame on me because I was too rash with my accusation!"

"Do you remember what you said?" he asked.

"Of course! I said that I thought you were a traitor!"

"No, that's not it," he shook his head. "You said that I must be _the traitor we've been looking for all along_. And the only way _you_ could have known that we were looking for a traitor all this time...is if YOU _WERE_ the traitor!"

Everyone's eyes were on Serena now, wide with fear, shock, betrayal, and fright. However, there was one set of eyes that was consumed with nothing but rage.

"Is it true, Serena?" Max growled, stepping forward. Everyone looked at him as he glared at Serena with clenched teeth.

"I…" Serena stammered as lightning flashed behind her. "I…"

"Did you kill my sister?!" Max snarled, trembling with rage. No one noticed dark energy crawling along the ground towards where Serena was standing.

"I, uh…" Serena stammered, backing away from everyone in fear.

"Answer me, Serena," Max snarled again, fists clenched at his sides.

"I…."

"ANSWER ME!"

Suddenly, four masses of dark energy leapt from the ground and engulfed Serena. "Augh!" she screamed. Bonnie instinctively ran forward to help, but Ash put his arm in front of her to stop her. He watched with a mix of fear, anger, and sadness as the darkness swallowed his friend.

 _Hmhmhmhmhmhm...heheheheheheh...AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAAAAA!_

The darkness formed into a familiar figure: Mewtwo's Messenger. But this time, the Messenger looked up at them with eyes full of hatred. Then, for the first time, she removed her hood, revealing her face.

" _So_ ," Serena snarled, her voice now a grotesque mix of her own voice and that of the Messenger, " _you've finally figured me out!_ "

"And I still can't believe it," Ash whispered, a tear falling from his eye.


	38. Chapter 38

Chapter 38: Purging the Darkness

Everyone stared in shock and horror at the sight that presented itself to them. Bonnie was in tears as Max comforted her while glaring at their enemy with absolute hatred. Clemont was trying hard not to cry, more shocked than most of the others. Misty's eyes were wide with horror, while Brock shook his head solemnly. Dawn had her hands over her mouth, horrified tears brimming in her eyes. Iris and Cilan's jaws had fallen to the ground.

And Ash just stood there, eyes wide with horror and pain. Even though he was the one who figured out who the traitor was, it didn't change how much it hurt to see a close friend turn against him like this. Serena, meanwhile, just stood there, dark energy crackling around her. Her beautiful blue eyes had been replaced by voids of darkness, glowing with hatred. Her wonderful smile was gone, replaced by a malicious scowl. Her long golden hair, however, remained unchanged.

"Serena," he finally said after an unbearable silence. "Why? Why are you doing this?"

" _If there's anyone who should be able to answer that question, it's_ you _, you traitorous devil!_ " she shouted in return. Her voice, despite the distortion caused by the darkness, was obviously laced with pain.

"I don't understand," Ash shook his head. "I want to...I want to understand so badly. Please...tell me why you're betraying us like this!"

" _Betraying you?_ " Serena exclaimed. She sounded shocked. " _It was YOU who betrayed ME!_ "

"What?!" Misty cried.

"How?" Ash asked, frowning slightly. "How did I betray you? What did I do that hurt you so –?" He stopped mid-sentence, looking down at his hands as the pieces suddenly started to fall into place. "...badly?" he finished, eyes enlightened and arms trembling.

 _I knew she didn't like me because you chose me over her, but...I've never seen her act so vicious before! She was nervous about travelling in the dark, so I took her hand to reassure her and bring her along. Then she slapped my hand and called me an ugly piece of filth!_

"May," he whispered.

" _About time you figured it out, you fool_ ," Serena growled. " _You left me in the dust for that...that...!_ "

"No!" Ash snapped back. "I never stopped caring about you, Serena. I have always seen you as a close friend. Isn't that enough for you?"

" _NO!_ " Serena bellowed, shaking the whole atmosphere. " _To call me a friend is not enough. You belong to me, and to me alone!_ "

"Serena, stop this!" he cried. "Do you even hear yourself? You're talking like a madman!"

" _I don't care!_ " Serena snarled at him. " _I stopped caring a long time ago. Only one thing matters._ "

"What?" he asked. "What do you want? What can I do that will stop this madness?"

"Ash, no!" Misty cried.

"Don't negotiate! It's a trap!" Brock cried as well. Ash didn't hear either of them.

" _Leave all these fools behind,_ " Serena replied, " _and come with me._ " She held her hand out to him. " _They have no place in the future my master has planned. You and I can come together and be happy, just like we always wanted._ "

"WHAT?!" everyone else cried.

"No!" Ash shouted back at her. "That's insane! Do you really mean to say that Mewtwo will destroy us all?!"

" _Unless you wish you cooperate,_ " she leered at him, " _yes._ "

"What about Bonnie? What about Clemont?" he cried desperately. "Will you let them be destroyed, too?"

" _Collateral damage is an unfortunate side effect of my master's grand scheme,_ " she replied softly. " _But all greatness comes at a price. No: Bonnie and Clemont will not be spared._ "

"How can you say that?!" Ash cried in horror. "Don't you remember our journey together? We traversed the whole Kalos region together! We laughed together, we cried together, we played together!" He was practically screaming now. "Do you remember any of that?! Does that mean nothing to you?!"

" _I remember nothing but darkness!_ " Serena snarled. " _A darkness you cast over us all by abandoning me for an inferior! You think mere sentiment will change the fact that you betrayed me? Pathetic!_ "

Ash couldn't believe what he was hearing. "You…" he whispered. "Who are you? You're not the girl I saved at summer camp all those years ago."

" _My offer remains, Ash,_ " she growled impatiently. " _Come with me, or you will perish with the rest of these fools._ "

"You're out of your mind if you think I'll take that offer," he snarled. "Don't act like you care about my well-being, either. I know you're not really Serena."

" _What?_ "

"Serena and I travelled through Kalos for nearly a year before we went our separate ways," Ash explained. "We formed a really strong friendship in that time. When she learned that I'd chosen someone else to be my girlfriend, she was hurt. She struggled for a long time to cope with the fact that her longtime crush was with someone else. Yet even then, in the midst of her jealousy, anger, and sadness, she still tried to be positive about life. She wanted to move on. She wanted to be happy. She told me so herself the last time we saw each other before the darkness took over." He stared directly into the voids that had replaced her eyes. "You are not that girl," he growled. "You're a monster. You care only for yourself. Nothing you say will change my mind!"

" _You fool,_ " she growled. " _Are you really going to let yourself be destroyed?_ "

"If it means being with my friends in their last moments?" he replied. "Yes."

" _Why? What do you have to gain? Nothing! You have everything to lose! Come with me, and you will have much more than you could ever dream of!_ "

"I DON'T CARE!" Ash screamed. "I won't leave my my friends in our darkest hour. I will stand by and fight with them to my last breath!"

" _GAHHHHHHH!_ " Serena screamed back, unleashing a dark wave of energy that knocked everyone onto their backs. Ash grunted and stood back up, as did everyone else.

"Go ahead," he growled lowly. "Do your worst. I won't back down."

" _You have nothing here,_ " she sneered.

"Yeah, you've only said that ten times," he mumbled.

" _Why fight? Your friends are doomed, and your precious May is dead. I should know: I killed her myself._ "

"Did you really?" Ash raised an eyebrow.

" _Yes, and what a glorious death it was. Her scream of agony, the blood on her body...oh, I waited far too long to witness that sight!_ "

"You must have enjoyed it quite a bit," he said, fists shaking.

" _Now tell, me, Ash...what do you have left here worth fighting for?_ "  
A small smile formed on Ash's face. "You're wrong, you know."

" _What?_ "

His smile grew. "You didn't kill her."

"Huh?" Max looked up, intrigued.

" _Heheheh,_ " Serena chuckled. " _You were so attached to her, obsessed with her, that even now that she's dead you delude yourself into believing she's alive._ "

"You're one to talk about delusions, Serena," he snapped back. "And just to be clear, I'm not just playing with obsession here. She's _not_ dead."

" _What is the meaning of this?_ " she growled.

"You were too quick to leave," Ash explained. "I thought I'd lost her when I saw her hand fall limply to the ground. But then Shadow came to us and looked her over. He discovered that she wasn't completely dead yet, and he used the last of his Chaos energy to return her to our world." He turned to Max with a compassionate gaze. "She's in a coma right now," he said softly. "She's asleep and badly wounded, but she's alive."

"Really?" Max whispered.

Ash nodded at him with his smile of assurance. "Really, really."

" _No,_ " Serena huffed, her whole form trembling. " _No!_ " Dark energy crackled violently around her. " _NOOOO!_ " she screamed, unleashing another blast. This time, although everyone was knocked back by the force of the blast, they stayed standing, covering their faces for protection. " _YOU,_ " she snarled, pointing at Ash. " _YOU FILTHY LITTLE RAT! YOU WILL PAY FOR YOUR BETRAYAL!_ " She raised her fists angrily and began forming a ball of energy. Then she shot it at him. He braced himself for the impact, but a massive fist punched the energy away. " _WHAT?!_ "

"Get away from him, you fiend!" a familiar voice shouted. Sonic the Werehog ran up as fast as he could, accompanied by Tails and Knuckles.

"Sonic!" Ash exclaimed. "You guys!"

"Save the pleasantries," Sonic said quickly. "We'll have time for that later."

" _NO,_ " Serena snarled, rage consuming her. " _THERE WILL BE NO TIME FOR ANYTHING._ " She glared at Ash with absolute hatred. " _IF I CANNOT HAVE YOU, THEN_ _ **NO ONE CAN!**_ " She rushed forward, dagger in hand, and tried to stab him. He grabbed her wrist right before she could plunge the knife into his stomach and held her back.

"Serena, stop this!" he shouted at her. "I know that this isn't what you really want. Let go of your anger!"

"SILLLENNNNCCCCCE!" she screamed, pushing harder. Sonic, seeing Ash was starting to get overpowered, leapt forward and punched the Messenger away from him, knocking her down.

"He needs help!" Misty cried. Everyone ran up to help him, only for a barrier to suddenly emerge, completely blocking out everyone except for Ash and Pikachu, and Sonic.

" _I WILL NOT LET YOU INTERFERE,_ " Serena snarled. " _THIS IS OUR CONFLICT, AND WE WILL RESOLVE IT OURSELVES._ "

"Is that the way it's gonna be?" Sonic muttered, clenching his massive fists.

"Then so be it," Ash nodded, pulling out a Pokeball. "Wait just a moment, Serena. Let me remind you just exactly what kind of power you're dealing with! GRENINJA! I CHOOSE YOU!" He hurled the Pokeball into the air. It opened and unleashed its energy, which quickly materialized into Ash's most powerful Water-type Pokemon.

" _Nin-JA_!" he said.

" _YOUR POWER IS NOTHING AGAINST DARKNESS,_ " the Messenger replied. " _BRAIXEN. DESTROY THEM!_ " In response to her command, something began to rise out of the darkness they stood on. It materialized into a dark and sinister version of Serena's signature Pokemon.

"Let's see how long your Pokemon can keep up your big attitude!" Sonic taunted her. He jumped forward and tried to punch Braixen, but the dark fox swatted him away with her stick. A purple flame glowed on the end of it.

"Watch out, Sonic!" Ash said. "Her Pokemon's stronger because of the darkness!"

"Doesn't affect me!" Sonic retorted with a grin. "I'm stronger because of the the darkness, too!"

"Well, don't be careless!" Ash replied. "This isn't a game anymore!"

" _BRAIXEN!_ " Serena commanded her Pokemon, " _USE FLAMETHROWER!_ "

Braixen obeyed, unleashing a torrent of flames. Greninja nimbly dodged the attack and retaliated with a Water Shuriken. Braixen deflected all but one of them, which struck her gut and knocked her backwards. She quickly regained her composure and furiously fired a ball of flame at the aquatic ninja. It hit him directly, but he quickly shook it off, being resistant to it by typing. Then he leapt up and suddenly created multiple copies of himself, all of which flashed forward to swarm their opponent. But Braixen, to everyone's shock, easily countered this with a dark energy blast that blew up all around her, knocking away everything in the vicinity.

"What?" Ash exclaimed. "What was that?!"

" _I KNOW THAT STRATEGY FAR TOO WELL, ASH,_ " Serena sneered. " _I WILL NOT LOSE THAT EASILY. BRAIXEN! FINISH OFF THAT PATHETIC TOAD!_ "

Braixen snarled viciously and generated a massive fireball on the end of her stick. She launched it at the downed Greninja, who had no time to dodge. But just before the attack could hit its target, Sonic's massive fist punched it away.

"You won't lose so easily, huh?" Sonic retorted. "Well neither will we!" With that, he leapt forward and punched Braixen in the gut, knocking her back. She leapt back to her feet and charged at Sonic with a flaming stick. He locked her stick in his grasp, resulting in them pushing one against the other. Both of them were powered up by the darkness within them, but Sonic's strength ultimately prevailed, and he threw Braixen back, slamming her into her trainer. The two of them fell into a heap, but they swiftly recovered and got onto their feet once again. Braixen thrust her stick into the ground, and flames shot out from it like a star. Sonic was confused, but then the flames started converging around him in a cylindrical pattern.

"What's this?" he said.

Ash's eyes widened. "The vortex strategy," he murmured. "The one she made based on Greninja's transformation. I haven't seen her use that in forever!" He looked at her void-like eyes in sadness. "Her heart must be bleeding right now." Then he clenched his fist. "And that's why we need to save her!"

"Augh!" Sonic cried as the flames surrounded him. "I can't...break free!"

"Greninja!" Ash commanded. "Use Water Shuriken!"

Greninja obeyed, unleashing a dozen large shurikens that disposed of the flames surrounding Sonic, freeing him. He shook himself off and glared back at Braixen. The fox Pokemon leapt up and threw more fireballs at him. Greninja, coming to his aid, countered these with several small Water Shurikens. This resulted in a stalemate until Greninja upped his ante, throwing a large shuriken at Braixen and knocking her back to the ground. Taking advantage of the opening, Sonic leapt up and slammed his fist into her gut. Braixen screamed in pain. When he leapt off of her and stood next to Greninja again, she stood up, panting from exhaustion.

"Braixen can't take much more," Sonic said. "Should we finish it off?"

"Not yet," Ash replied, then looked back at his former friend. "Serena! Your Pokemon is tired. Let her rest."

" _NO,_ " Serena growled. " _I WILL NOT GIVE UP UNTIL IT'S OVER!_ "

Her words struck Ash in the heart, and he looked at her with compassion. _She's still in there_ he thought. _I know she is! We've got to break through to her!_ "Serena, listen to me!" he called again. "I know you're angry with me and that rejecting you hurt you badly."

" _YOU RIPPED MY HEART OUT,_ " she retorted.

"No!" Ash snapped back, though not vehemently as he slowly walked towards her. "I know I hurt you, but I didn't ruin your life. I didn't turn you into a monster, or cast a shadow over you. _You_ did that to yourself."

"Ash, what are you doing?!" Sonic exclaimed.

" _TRAITOR_ ," Serena snarled softly.

"Mewtwo twisted your anger and jealousy into madness, but I know the real you is still in there. I know, deep down, this isn't what you want. You don't want to kill me, or May, or any of us, nor do you want to see the world we love get destroyed."

" _YOU ARE TRYING TO CONFUSE ME...IT...WON'T...WORK_!"

"Serena!" Ash cried, "Please, let go of your anger! It doesn't have to be this way!" He was standing directly in front of her now. "Leave the past behind. You can still find happiness in life. There's an entire, beautiful world out there waiting for you to explore. Do you really want to destroy it? Is that really what you want?"

" _UGGGHHHHH...NNNNGGGGHHHH_ ," Serena groaned in pain, clutching her head.

"Break free," Ash encouraged her. "Let it go."

" _NO!_ " she suddenly screamed, whipping out a knife and holding it to his throat. He gasped in fear as he stared into the voids of her eyes.

"Ash, no!" Sonic cried, rushing forward. But dark energy subdued and immobilized him. He struggled to break free, helpless to watch his friend stare death in the face.

"Is this really what you want?" Ash whispered. Serena's only response was very heavy breathing. Ash sighed, secretly fearing that what he said next would be his last regret. "Then go ahead. Kill me."

" _What?!_ " Misty screamed.

"Ash, what are you doing?!" Brock cried. All his friends said likewise.

"Kill me," Ash said to Serena, "but before you do, I have one request."

" _AND WHAT IS THAT?_ " Serena sneered, a malicious grin on her face.

Ash stared into her voids, a single tear trickling from his eye. "Let me...look into your eyes...one last time…"

She blinked, confused. " _YOU'RE LOOKING INTO THEM NOW._ "

"No. I mean your _real_ eyes, not these voids of hatred and darkness. Please," he pleaded, another tear falling down his face. "Just for a moment...that's all I want...then...you can kill me."

Serena just stood there, frozen. Her hand holding the dagger trembled as she clenched her teeth, her eyes twitching. Everyone watched, frozen in terror as they waited for the inevitable.

" _GAHHHHHHHHHHHHH!_ "

Ash squeezed his eyes shut, waiting for his throat to burst open. But no pain came. Confused, he opened his eyes and saw Serena writing on the ground in pain. He turned and saw that the dagger had been thrown away. He looked at her, frightened.

"Serena!" he exclaimed. "Serena, what's wrong?!"

" _AAAAAAAAAAAAGH!_ " she continued to scream as she writhed on the ground. Then, finally, with an ear-piercing scream, a dark energy ripped away from her body. When her screams faded, she fell to the ground, unconscious. He rushed up to her without a second thought and rolled her onto her back. Her face was laced with pain, eyes shut tightly yet softly and teeth clenched in the same manner. He placed his hand on her forehead and slowly rubbed it as though checking for a fever. As he did so, her expression gradually softened until it looked completely peaceful.

"Serena..." he whispered.

Her eyelids twitched slightly. Then her eyes fluttered open. Gone were the voids of despair, replaced by the beautiful sky-blue orbs everyone knew and loved.

"Ash…" she said, her voice hoarse. He could see water in her eyes.

His own eyes began to well up, and he pulled her into a tight embrace as the tears fell down their faces. She returned it, still in the robes she wore as the Messenger, and clutched his back as though in desperation. She sobbed loudly as the two of them embraced. Beside them, the barrier that had blocked everyone else off disappeared, and Sonic was freed from the bonds that held him down. They quickly rushed up to the two of them in concern.

"I'm sorry," Serena choked out through her sobs. "I'm so sorry."

"Shhh," Ash whispered soothingly. "It's over now. It doesn't matter anymore."

Finally, the two of them let each other go, in more ways than one. "How?" she whispered. "How can you say that after all I've done?"

"Because you're my friend," he replied. "You have always been my friend. I could never see you as anything less."

"But I betrayed you!" she said. "I betrayed everyone: Clemont, Bonnie, Sonic...and I even tried to kill the girl you love! How can you possibly forgive me for all that?"

"Serena," Ash said, "that wasn't all your fault. It's like I said; Mewtwo twisted your hurt and pain into anger and hatred. Now that you're free of his control, you don't have to feel that way anymore."

"But...what about May?"

He smiled warmly at her. "It's like I said: she's gonna be okay."

"Do you think that she'll forgive me?"

"Of course she will."

Serena returned his warm smile. "I guess that shouldn't shock me," she said. "You two are so alike, yet so distinct; it's no surprise you fell for each other. You're the sun to her moon."

"I guess so," Ash said. He took her hand in his. "Is that okay with you?"

"If it makes you happy," she replied, "then yes."

He nodded and helped her up. She looked around at everyone, a tinge of guilt still in her eyes. Everyone was more cautious than Ash...except for Bonnie. She slowly walked up, looking up into Serena's eyes, then rammed into her and gave her the biggest hug imaginable. Serena looked down at the little girl and gladly returned the embrace.

"I love you, Serena," Bonnie whispered into her chest.

A tear fell from Serena's eyes at that. "I love you too, Bonnie."

 _So...you have defeated my Messenger, have you?_

Everyone looked up sharply to see their true enemy staring down at them from above, a malicious glare in his purple eyes. He was slowly descending upon them.

"Shadow Mewtwo," Ash glared at him.

"At long last," Sonic said, clenching his fists.


	39. Chapter 39

Chapter 39: The Final Chase

"So," Ash said, clenching his fists as they finally faced the powerful Pokemon, "you're the one responsible for all of this."

 _I have been waiting for you, Ash Ketchum_ Shadow Mewtwo replied. _Your power has haunted me from the moment we first met. Now it is time to put an end to it._

"No," Ash shook his head. "It's time to put an end to your reign of horror. You've cast a shadow over our world for far too long. It's time to restore the light!"

 _Heheheheheh_ Mewtwo chuckled darkly. _You amuse me, human. What does a puny little fool like you think you can do against me?_

"How about this?!" Ash snarled, raising his arm. Greninja did the same thing, and a swirling veil of water enveloped him before condensing into a large shuriken on his back. "Okay, Greninja," Ash said. "Use Water Shuriken." Greninja yanked the shuriken off of his back and began spinning it around his head. After several spins, it glowed with a blinding light. "NOW!" Ash shouted. Greninja unleashed his super-powered shuriken and, with a large explosion, it scored a direct hit against Mewtwo.

"He got him!" Serena exclaimed happily.

"All right!" Misty cheered.

The dust instantly dissipated. To everyone's shock, Mewtwo wasn't even scratched. "What?!" Ash cried.

 _Even the power of Mega Evolution, Synergy, and Z-Power combined cannot harm me!_ Mewtwo declared. With that, he fired a dark blast that struck Greninja in the gut. It was instantly knocked out.

"AGH!" Ash screamed in pain, clutching his chest. The pain was momentary, and he quickly recovered. "Greninja, return!" he recalled his Pokemon to his Pokeball.

 _Now!_ Mewtwo snarled, pointing at him, _I will destroy your puny little life. Then I will raise your body and make it my new vessel, to house my power. You shall be my new Messenger!_

"Over my dead body!" Brock shouted, standing in front of his friend.

"You want Ash? You'll have to go through me, first!" Misty shouted likewise, standing in front of her friend. Following their example, everyone stood in front of Ash: Serena, Bonnie, Clemont, Iris, Cilan, Dawn, Max, Amy, Knuckles, Tails, and finally Sonic stood in front of him.

"No one's ever taken Baseball Head away from us before," Sonic snarled at Mewtwo, "and no one's going to take him away today! We will fight to our last breath to keep him away from you!"

"No, Sonic."

Sonic turned in surprise and saw Ash standing beside him. "Ash, what are you –?"

"If it's a fight Mewtwo wants, then I will fight," he said. "I won't stand back when the whole world is on the line. Even if it costs me my life, I will protect the world I love!"

"But Ash!" Sonic exclaimed, "If you die, then he'll take your body for his own!"

Ash looked at Sonic with a grave expression. "If I die," he said, "then you will stop that from happening." He turned to their friends. " _All_ of you will."

"Y-Yes," Misty said softly, her voice trembling. "Just...please don't die, Ash."

He smiled softly and sadly at her. "I'll do my best, Misty."

 _No_ Mewtwo growled, dark energy crackling around him. _There is no room for any of you here!_ With that, he unleashed a blast of dark energy that engulfed everything in sight.

"GAAHHHH!" everyone screamed. Ash and Sonic covered their eyes. They turned around to keep their eyes safe, only to witness a horrifying sight: all their friends were fading as they fell back in midair.

"NO!" Ash screamed.

"GUYS!" Sonic cried.

No sooner had they said this before their friends vanished as though into thin air, leaving only Ash, Pikachu and Sonic behind.

 _Perfect_ Mewtwo sneered. _Now, at long last, the darkness shall reign!_

"Where are they?!" Ash screamed at Mewtwo, absolute rage flooding his face. "What have you done with them?!"

 _Oh, you needn't worry about them_ Mewtwo chuckled darkly. _I am sparing their lives for the moment, as I have returned them to your puny world._ The darkness around them began to crackle violently. _But they will not escape their fate. When the darkness has fully covered your world, there will be nowhere for them to run. It will not be long before they wish for the fate that I am about to inflict upon you...DEATH!_

* * *

"Ungh," Misty groaned, slowly getting to her feet. "What…?"

"Misty!" a familiar voice called. She looked up and saw Brock coming to her. "Are you okay?"

"I'm...fine," she replied as he helped her up. "Where is everybody?"

"Over here!" Dawn called. They looked up and saw the bluenette running towards them, and realized they were back in the meadow where they were when the dark portal swallowed them up.

"Everyone?' Misty said, looking around.

"No," Serena shook her head as she sadly came up to them. "Not everyone."

Misty looked around, deathly pale. "Oh no...where's Ash?!"

"He's...not here," Serena whispered.

"Uh, guys?" Tails called, "You might want to see this."

"What is it?" Brock asked. "And does anyone know what time it is?"

"My PokeNav's completely dead," Max shrugged. "We should figure it out by looking at the sun...or moon. Whatever's in the sky."

"That's just it!" Knuckles said. "Look!"

They all looked up and realized they couldn't see the sun _or_ the moon. A dark cloud obscured everything, slowly spreading. It was no longer possible to tell whether it was day or night.

"This is...terrible," Misty whispered in horror as lightning flashed in the sky.

* * *

"You monster!" Sonic screamed. "That's it! You're going down!"

 _Hmhmhmhmhm_ Mewtwo sneered, eyeing the werehog with a strange gaze. _Heheheheheh...AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAA! You overestimate your power, werehog!_ He then extended his hand out towards him. _Or should I say..._ hedgehog _._

Suddenly, dark energy erupted from Sonic's stomach. "GAHHHHH!" he roared in pain as the energy began erupting from his head, hands, feet, and eyes.

"Sonic!" Ash cried.

The spectacle lasted for about fifteen seconds. When it finally ended, Sonic stood there, wavering a moment and putting his hand to his head, before collapsing to the ground, unconscious.

Sonic the Werehog was no more.

 _Hmhmhmhmhmhmhmhmhmmmmmm_ Mewtwo chuckled. _Oh, yessss...YESSSSSSS. I'd forgotten how much of my power he absorbed when that fool Eggman split the planet apart._

"What?!" Ash exclaimed.

 _It feels so good to finally have it all BACK!_ he roared. Dark energy swirled around him in a sphere. Then, with a burst of power, he emerged in a larger form.

Ash's eyes were wide. "Mega Evolution!" he breathed.

 _POWER_ Mewtwo replied. _UNLIMITED POWER. MWAAAAAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAAA!_

* * *

From a hospital in Hoenn, Shadow the Hedgehog watched as the darkness slowly crawled towards him from the north. He clenched his fists and turned away, powerless to do anything. He walked into a room where a young brunette laid in an endless slumber.

"I didn't want it to end this way," he whispered, a tear falling from his eye. "But if this is how it must be, then at least we can be together...one more time."

* * *

 _Foolish Ash Ketchum_ Mewtwo said condescendingly. _How will you defeat me now?_

Ash reached for his Pokeballs, only to grasp nothing. "My Pokeballs!" he exclaimed. "Where are they?!"

 _I sent them back to your world with your friends_ Mewtwo sneered. _I don't know what would be worse: remaining trapped in those capsules forever, or suffering the reign of darkness. I suppose I'll just have to figure it out as I go along._

"If you wanted my friends to suffer in the darkness," Ash growled, "then why did you keep us here?"

 _Your friends are mere insects compared to my power_ Mewtwo replied. _They are no longer a threat. YOU, however, are the greatest threats to my plans. Therefore, I shall personally see to it that you can do nothing against me...by killing you._

Ash looked at Pikachu with a deadpan expression. "Why is this always happening to me?"

" _Pika_ ," Pikachu shrugged.

 _This is the end!_ Mewtwo declared as he raised his arms and formed a massive ball of dark energy. _PREPARE TO MEET YOUR DOOM!_

Ash backed away a step in fear. Then Mewtwo launched his massive attack, and the trainer covered his eyes, waiting for the impact.

It never came. Instead, he heard something kick the sphere away into the void, where it exploded harmlessly.

 _What?!_

"Sorry, cat-face, but your little game ends here, and it ends NOW!"

They looked up and saw Sonic the Hedgehog standing in front of Ash, fists clenched at his side.

 _What did you just do?!_

"I did what I had to do," Sonic replied. "You did me a very generous favor, Mewtwo: you freed me from the darkness for good! You may have been able to hinder me by the power of the night before, but that's all over now. I am no monster. I am Sonic: Sonic the Hedgehog! And you're about to find out just what that means!"

 _You make me sick, Sonic the Hedgehog_ Mewtwo growled. _It's a good thing I'm going to kill you, too._

"Not a chance!" Ash shouted back at him. "Your night has lasted long enough, Mewtwo. You think the darkness is the herald of our defeat? You think that because things look hopeless there is no hope? Well, you're wrong! The night is darkest right before the dawn. And though the pain in that hour is great, the victory that comes after makes it all worth it. That is the hope we hold to in our darkest hour, and that is the hope that will empower us to defeat you! The road ends here, Mewtwo! Your darkness is nothing but the herald of our victory!"

Mewtwo glared at Ash with absolute hatred. _The road ends here, you say? Hmhmhmhmhm!_ Suddenly, a long, narrow pathway shot into the void. _Oh no, Ash Ketchum...the road has only just begun!_ With that, he shot down the path like the speed of light.

"After him!" Ash cried.

"I'm on it!" Sonic replied, dashing down the path as fast as he could. It felt good to be able to run again.

As he ran, he began to feel energy surge through his body. _Chaos energy? Is it the Chaos Emeralds? No, wait!_ he thought excitedly. _It's happening again!_ His feet pounded the ground faster and faster as his form slowly changed once again. His speed picked up, and he shot down the path to catch up with Shadow Mewtwo.

 _Urgh!_ Mewtwo growled as he saw Sonic quickly catch up to him. He was right on his heels now. _How did you catch up so quickly?!_

"Um...hellooooooo?" Sonic replied. "Have you forgotten who you're dealing with here?"

 _You cursed little rat_ he snarled in reply. _Take this!_ He threw a ball of energy at Sonic, but the nimble hedgehog just sidestepped to avoid it, not even breaking a sweat.

"All right!" Sonic cheered. "Now it's my turn!" With that, he leapt up, curling into a ball, and shot straight at the evil Pokemon, hitting him square in the chest.

 _Guh!_ Mewtwo grunted. _You'll pay for that!_ With that, he shot another ball of energy at him, but he sidestepped to dodge it again. He shot two balls of energy, but Sonic avoided both of them. Enraged, he shot three balls of energy. Sonic leapt over them, but his foot scraped one, causing it to spark.

"Ouch!" he exclaimed. "That didn't feel good. No time to sweat, though. I gotta go fast!" He kept running after Mewtwo, his golden eyes locked on the prize.

 _Still running, Sonic the Hedgehog?_ he snarled. _Maybe I should punch you out!_ He came a little closer, raising his fist. Sonic, however, took advantage of the opening, curled into a ball, and shot at him again, striking him where it hurt. _ARGH!_

"Bad idea, cat-face!" Sonic taunted him. "Try an alternative approach! I like an unpredictable enemy. It makes this more fun!"

 _I'll eat your blue heart out, you insolent hedgehog!_ Mewtwo shouted as he floated away from Sonic a bit. Then he raised his fists and began spinning cylindrically in the air.

"Looks like a drill attack," Sonic noted, smirking. "Now we're talkin'!"

Mewtwo shot up, performed a corkscrew, and then came charging at Sonic. The quick-thinking hedgehog leapt over him, escaping the attack. He looked behind him to see Mewtwo disappear.

"Gone already?" he wondered. "That was too easy. Where is he now?"

 _DIE!_

"Whoa!" he exclaimed, looking forward just in time to see Mewtwo attack him with his fist again. He slid under him and continued running. Mewtwo chased after him, but Sonic was ready. With a smirk, he leapt into the air, performing a backflip, and kicked Mewtwo in the back of the head.

 _GAHHHHHHH!_ Mewtwo screamed as he rocketed forward from the force of Sonic's attack. He tumbled across the ground until he fell to the ground. Sonic screeched to a stop in front of him.

"Looks like Round 1 is mine!" he grinned. "Ready for Round 2?"

 _You…_ Mewtwo growled as he got up on one knee. _Your power is impressive, hedgehog._ He got up on his two feet. _But it is nothing compared to the power of darkness!_ With that, Mewtwo fired a Shadow Ball. Sonic nimbly leapt over it, smirking.

 _That was too easy to dodge!_ he smirked. _He's so predictable! Hehe–wait...OH, CRAP! IT'S GOING FOR ASH!_

Ash, who had caught up to them thanks to his bond with Sonic, got hit by the full force of the attack. It knocked him onto his back. Sonic felt all the pain he did, screaming as he reverted back to his normal form. He fell onto his bottom, a hand on his head. Then the pain vanished. He looked up and saw Ash lying on the ground, motionless.

"Oh no!" he exclaimed, rushing up to him. He shook him slightly. "Is he dead? No, wait...he's breathing! He's just knocked out!" He turned to Mewtwo. "That was a dirty move, you know that?"

 _All's fair in the darkness, Sonic the Hedgehog_ Mewtwo sneered. _With Ash Ketchum out of the way, I will have no problem disposing of you. Then, with your death, he will swiftly follow!_

"Oh, really?" Sonic retorted. "You know, if I was you, I wouldn't overestimate your power."

 _Oh, really?_ the dark Mewtwo sneered. _Your friend is down, as is your source of power. What can you possibly do to defeat me now?_

Sonic glared at him, fists balled at his sides. Then the Chaos Emeralds appeared, surrounding him and bathing him in their power. Then, with a bright flash of light, he transformed into his super form. Mewtwo was caught off-guard and covered his eyes.

"How's this for an answer?" Sonic asked.

 _Hmhmhmhmhm_ Mewtwo chuckled, amused. _It seems I underestimated you, hedgehog. But it makes no matter. I will destroy you all the same!_ With that, he shot up into the air. Sonic followed, right on his heels. Ash, meanwhile, slowly opened his eyes, grunting in pain.

"Ugh," he moaned. "That...hurt. You okay, Pikachu?"

" _Pikachu_ ," Pikachu nodded.

"Good." He looked up and saw a bright light in the sky. "Go for it, Sonic," he smiled, putting his hand on his chest. He felt something in his shirt. "Huh?" He pulled out a bright stone on a necklace. It was slightly cracked on the outside, but the diamond-shaped stone in the center was unscratched.

"The stone," he whispered. "Could this be…?"


	40. Chapter 40

Chapter 40: Light and Darkness

Sonic hovered in the dark atmosphere, staring down the Mega-Evolved Shadow Mewtwo. "This is it," he said. "You're going down!"

" _So sure, are you?_ " Mewtwo sneered. " _Very well...I'm done holding back._ "

"So am I," Sonic replied. With that, he shot forward and rammed into Mewtwo's stomach.

" _GUH!_ " Mewtwo grunted. " _So quick to attack, are you? We just got started with the witty banter._ "

"I'm not here to talk," Sonic snapped. "I'm here to save the world!"

" _Fine, then,_ " Mewtwo growled. " _But like I said: I'M DONE HOLDING BACK._ " As he spoke, he held his palms apart as a Shadow Ball formed between them. Then he fired the ball right at Sonic. It went too fast for Sonic to escape, and he got knocked away. He quickly recovered and appeared before Mewtwo once again.

"Here I come!" he shouted, charging right at him. But just as he was about to strike, a strange force repelled him, sending reeling backwards. "What?!"

" _An impenetrable force field surrounds me,_ " Mewtwo sneered as a pale blue field of energy surrounded him. " _You cannot harm me!_ "

"Watch me!" Sonic retorted, charging straight at him again. This time he aimed for the force field. When he collided with it, he felt Mewtwo's power pushing him back, but he persisted. After a few seconds, he prevailed and knocked Mewtwo back. The startled Pokemon grunted in pain as his shield crackled with energy, indicating that it had been damaged.

"You call that impenetrable?" Sonic taunted him. "No need to bluff with me. I know you're no pushover!"

" _You insolent creature!_ " Mewtwo snarled, unleashing another Shadow Ball. This time, Sonic dodged the attack. Suddenly, he felt like he got a large headache. _Psychic?_ he thought. _Must be. Gotta break free!_ He swiftly shook off the attack and charged at Mewtwo once again. Mewtwo retaliated by firing a Shadow Ball. Thinking quickly, Sonic kicked it back at him. Mewtwo's shield crackled once again when it hit, and sparks continued to crackle every now and then.

"Whoops!" Sonic chuckled. "I hope you're not sick, cuz you just got a taste of your own medicine!"

" _ENOUGH!_ " Mewtwo roared, firing a lavender scythe-like energy attack. _Psycho Cut!_ Sonic thought in alarm. He leapt over it through the air, but Mewtwo anticipated this and fired another one, striking the hedgehog in the stomach. Sonic swiftly shook off the attack and charged at Mewtwo's shield once again. Just as he was about to strike, something blindsided him and knocked him away.

"What?!"

" _This is my realm,_ " Mewtwo sneered. " _I am the darkness, and the darkness is me!_ "

* * *

Ash watched from below as a dark wave of energy that came out of nowhere knocked Sonic away. He clenched his fists. "There's gotta be a way to help him," he said. "But without my other Pokemon, I can't figure it out!"

" _Pikachu_ ," Pikachu moaned.

He looked around but saw nothing but darkness for miles, if measurements were even legitimate in this dimension. He put his hand on the stone that hung around his neck. "Come on," he grit his teeth. "Come on."

* * *

" _GRAH!_ " Shadow Mewtwo cried as Sonic slammed into his shield once again. It crackled with energy, then ripped itself from its owner, destroyed.

"Here I come!" Sonic cried, flying headfirst at Mewtwo. Just as he was about to hit, something else repelled him with a force even stronger than the force field. "Gah! What was –?"

" _Did you really think I'd be so foolish as to put up one force field? No, you fool. THIS is the reason why you cannot harm me!_ "

"Let's test that theory!" Sonic retorted, flying at him again. Just before he could strike, Mewtwo disappeared. He looked around, puzzled, before something slammed him from above. "Ungh!" he grunted as he shot towards the ground.

" _Fool,_ " Mewtwo sneered as he followed the flailing hedgehog. " _Thinking he could defeat me._ "

* * *

"Sonic!" Ash cried as the glowing hedgehog slammed into the ground. Dust flew everywhere, but it quickly dissipated. Ash rushed up to his friend. "Are you okay?"

"Of course I am," Sonic grinned. "With the power of the Chaos Emeralds, nothing can hurt me."

" _But how long can you maintain this power?_ " Mewtwo sneered as he descended to them, his golden force field still protecting him. " _Not much longer I imagine. It's not in your essence. MY power IS my essence, and I will use it to erase you from existence!_ "

"No way!" Ash shouted. "You'll never get away with this!"

" _Are you still holding onto hope?_ " the evil Pokemon said, sounding slightly surprised. " _Your world is succumbing to the darkness as we speak, and still you have the audacity to resist? Your power can only reach so far, Ash Ketchum. Don't your realize you're fighting for a lost cause?_ "

Ash reached up and flipped his cap around. "Even if this is a lost cause," he said, "it's the only one worth fighting for!"

Mewtwo clenched his fists in rage as his force field began to crackle violently with energy. " _You have defied me for the last time, you insolent human! Now...you will DIE!_ " Mewtwo's force field glowed so brightly that the Pokemon was no longer visible. Then he shot straight at Ash.

"NO!" Ash screamed, covering his eyes and bracing himself for a world of pain. Just as Mewtwo was about to collide with him, however, the diamond-shaped stone in Ash's necklace glowed a bright white, creating a force field that repelled Mewtwo's attack.

"What?!" Sonic exclaimed in shock.

"What's...happening?!..." Ash said, barely able to speak as the stone seemed to be using his energy.

" _GUH!_ " Mewtwo cried. " _WHAT...WHAT IS THIS?! MY...POWER...FADING?! NO! THIS...CAN'T...BE…!_ "

Light and darkness clashed in that void as the battle reached its unexpected climax. Then, with a bright flash and an ear-piercing shattering sound, Mewtwo was consumed in the light, as were Sonic, Ash and Pikachu. When the light faded, they found themselves in a meadow.

"Huh?" Ash groaned, slowly opening his eyes. "Where...are we?" He looked down and saw his necklace laying on the ground. The stone it held was completely shattered. Only the diamond-shaped core of the stone remained unscratched. "Ah," he muttered. "It broke."

"Ash!"

He recognized that voice instantly. "Misty?!"

The red-haired gym leader ran up to him and hugged him tightly. "Oh, Ash," she whispered. "I'm so glad you're safe!"

"Thank goodness you're all right," Brock said, coming up to him.

"But…" Ash stammered, confused, "what...happened?"

"Looks like we got teleported out of that dimension," Sonic, still in his super form, said.

"Does that mean we won?" Tails asked, running up to them with Knuckles and Amy behind him.

"No," Knuckles shook his head. "Look up."

They did so and saw Shadow Mewtwo, no longer Mega-Evolved, descending to them. His torso glowed with light. He looked weak, his hateful eyes closed. Finally, he set foot on the ground.

" _My...strength…_ " he whispered. " _My...power…_ "

The orange spike on his shoulder suddenly and quietly shattered, the shards fading into the air. Then Mewtwo's whole form glowed, as dark energy flowed off of his form and into the air, fading into wisps. When the spectacle ended, Shadow Mewtwo was gone, and Mewtwo stood in his place.

He opened his eyes. They, also, were restored to normal. Though his irises retained their lavender hue, his pupils were no longer slit. There was no hatred or darkness in them. Rather, there was only confusion...and remorse.

" _Where…_ " he whispered, his voice normal once again. " _Where am I? This...this is not the same…_ "

"Mewtwo?" Ash whispered, stepping forward cautiously.

Mewtwo looked at him, and his eyes widened with recognition. " _You!_ " he exclaimed. " _You're that...human...the one who…_ " He trailed off as he closed his eyes and remembered.

 _You gotta stop this right now!_

 _Ash, no!_

 _Wait!_

 _STOOOOOOOOOP!_

He opened his eyes again. " _Thank you,_ " he said softly, " _for freeing me._ "

"Freeing you?" Ash blinked, puzzled.

"From what?" Sonic asked.

Mewtwo turned around and indicated a small object sitting on the ground. It was hexagonal in shape and blackened like charcoal, but it emitted a sinister glow from its center. " _That,_ " he said.

Ash walked up to the strange stone, puzzled. "What is this?" he wondered. He reached his hand out to touch it, but then suddenly a small, dark portal appeared. The stone floated into the portal and vanished. "Well, I guess that's that," he shrugged. He turned to Mewtwo. "What was that thing?"

" _The Shadow Synergy stone,_ " Mewtwo replied. " _It is a dangerous object with the ability to seize one's inner darkness and twist it to its own ends._ "

"A passive function?" Clemont ventured a guess.

" _No. It is at once sentient, intelligent, and full of malice. It lives in that other dimension we escaped from just now._ " Mewtwo bowed his head in shame, then started to fade. " _I don't know how it took control of me, but...it was a nightmare: one I hope I will never have to witness again._ " With that, he disappeared.

"Well, if the Shadow Synergy stone is back in its dimension," Sonic said, "I guess it can't hurt us anymore."

 _sO sUrE, ArE yOu, hEdGeHoG?!_

Everyone's eyes widened in horror. "No!" Ash cried.

"It's still here?!" Sonic moaned.

They heard a howling noise coming from over the edge of the cliff. They looked down and saw a huge, gaping void of darkness that was starting to devour the landscape. Suddenly, a large, bony hand erupted from the void and clutched the edge of the cliff. They leapt back to avoid its grasp. Another bony hand emerged and grabbed the cliff. Then, an indescribable monstrosity emerged and towered over them, dark lightning flashing all around it.

"What is that thing?!" Sonic cried.

 _nOw yOu SeE mY tRuE fOrM. ThE dArKnEsS CaNnOt bE vAnQuIsHeD. i WiLl rUlE ALL!_

The monster that stood before them had a snake-like body. Its head, however, was very large and horizontal. It looked as though it were more a mouth than a head, though it already had a head and mouth. Frightening purple tentacle-like energy whips protruded from its back.

"Arceus help us," Ash whispered as the monster leered down at them. His courage began to fail him as fear gripped his heart.

 _DEATH...TO...THE LIGHT!_ the fiend roared, and began to bring its clawed fist down.

"LOOK OUT!" Ash screamed at Serena and Bonnie, who were right in its trajectory. Serena immediately picked up Bonnie and leapt out of the way, narrowly evading the crushing blow.

"You overgrown Arbok!" Sonic growled, still in his super form. "I'll make this quick!" With that, he shot up straight for the fiend's head. But when he got within inches of it, a sudden force repelled him. " _What_?!" he cried in shock. "What in the –?!"

 _BEGONE!_ the fiend roared. A small but forceful explosion of dark energy erupted before him. Sonic was sent hurtling straight into the ground. To everyone's shock, he had reverted to his normal form. The Chaos Emeralds fell beside him, drained of their power.

"The Chaos Emeralds!" Ash cried in horror.

"No," Dawn whispered.

"How can anything have such power?!" Knuckles exclaimed.

"YOU!" Tails shouted at the monster angrily. "Nobody hurts my best friend and gets away with it! I'll blow you to smithereens!" As he said this, he pulled out a rocket launcher. When he finished speaking, he fired a massive rocket. But compared to the monster's size, it was nothing. It hit the fiend's snake-like body, but the monster didn't even flinch from the impact or explosion.

"I don't believe it," Brock whispered. "It's...it's impossible! There's no way we can beat this thing!"

"Without the Chaos Emeralds," Tails moaned, "there's nothing we can do."

"Even if Sonic and I used his transformation again, we would still come up short," Ash said, clenching his fists. He looked back at one of the backpacks they'd taken on their journey and quickly walked over and sifted through it, pulling something out.

 _BeHoLd_ the fiend sneered, gesturing to the sky, _tHe eNd oF ThE wOrLd!_ The darkness parted to reveal a small patch of sky. The sun was visible for a brief moment before something dark completely obscured it.

"It's a solar eclipse!" Max gasped.

"Probably just for show," Knuckles mumbled.

 _bOw tO tHe dArKnEsS!_ the fiend roared in their faces, causing such a strong wind that it pushed them back. As it roared, Ash covered his face to shield himself from the wind. As he looked down, he saw the diamond-like core of that mysterious stone he wore around his neck before it shattered. He didn't know what compelled him to give it a second thought, but he bent down and picked it up. He looked intently at it as he held it in the palm of his hand. It was clear as glass and, despite all that it had gone through, it remained unscratched. There were no marks whatsoever on its surface or within.

 _It takes a lot of resolve to withstand all the hell this thing has gone through_ he thought. He closed his fist around it as the monster's roar ended. _And that's just what we need. Someone has to stand tall to face down this monster, no matter how grim the odds._

With that, he stood up and stared at the monster with determination. "No," he said.

"Huh?" Sonic raised an eyebrow (or whatever he had).

"Ash?" Misty said.

 _wHaT iS ThE MeAnInG oF tHiS?!_

"We will not bow," Ash went on. "It's like I said before: the night is darkest right before the light of day comes. Your power is immense, but it has one fatal flaw."

 _aNd wHaT iS tHaT?_

He smiled slightly. "Darkness may be powerful, and its influence is unstoppable. But with one single candle, you have the power to hold it back."

 _yOu uSe WAX tO FiGhT mE?_

"Nope," Ash replied, his smile growing. "We have something brighter than any candle: our love. The love we have for this world, for our Pokemon, and for each other is the light we will use to extinguish your darkness!"

 _lOvE iS wEaKnEsS!_

"No it isn't. It's power." He held his fist which held the diamond up. "Love has the power to ignite the stars! And that power is what will give us strength to fight back and defeat your darkness!"

Suddenly, something within his raised fist began glowing with a white light. "Gah!" he cried, keeling over and falling to his knees as it burned him.

"Ash!" Sonic cried, rushing up to him. "Are you okay?"

"Ungh," Ash grunted, slowly opening his fist. "This...diamond...it's…"

The diamond he held in his hands was glowing brightly, blinding anyone who looked directly at it. _tHaT lIgHt!_ the monster screamed, roaring in pain.

"What's happening?!" Misty cried.

"Unbelievable," Brock breathed.

The diamond began to float in the air, rays of light continuing to burst forth from the tiny stone. Suddenly, seven beams of light shot out from it and connected to the drained Chaos Emeralds. Those began to float as well, slowly glowing with a bright, white light. They circled around Ash and Sonic, slowly spinning as the diamond's light continued to shine brighter and brighter.

"Whoaaaa!" Sonic exclaimed. "Is it...happening again? No, wait...it's different somehow!"

"Power," Ash breathed, looking at the diamond in awe. "Overflowing!"

As the diamond continued to shine its light on the two heroes, they suddenly felt their essences begin to combine once again as they had before. Only this time, there was much more power flowing through their veins. Then a bright, blinding light engulfed them. When it faded, everyone's eyes widened in utter amazement.

Sonic stood there, but he'd taken on a form no one had ever seen before. His eyes had narrowed and once again changed to gold, but his quills were now sticking up completely. His tail and the quills on his back were four times their usual length. On top of all this, his entire body now glowed with a blinding white light, as wisps of light energy slowly moved around him.

"Sonic…" Tails whispered. "What's...happened to you?"

"I don't know," Sonic said, his voice ethereal. "But it appears I've taken on a form that combines the powers of Ash's transformation and the seven Chaos Emeralds. It's immense...massive...overflowing! This may be what we need to defeat the darkness once and for all!"

 _yOuR LiGhT iS A nUiSaNcE!_ the fiend snarled in rage. _i WiLl eXtInGuIsH iT!_

"We'll see about that!" Sonic retorted. "HYAAAAAA!" He shot straight for the fiend's head again, like he had before. This time, right as the barrier popped up, he blasted right through it and slammed into the monster's head.

 _GAHHHHHHHH!_ the fiend roared in agony, clutching its head. _tHiS...cAn'T...BE!_

Sonic returned to the meadow. He wasn't even scratched. "Wow!" Ash exclaimed. "That didn't even faze you?!"

"I didn't feel a thing!" Sonic grinned.

Ash looked at the stone in his hands. It still glowed brightly as if there were still more energy in it. "Maybe others can share this power," he thought.

 _yOu HaVe dEfIeD mE fOr tHe LaSt tImE!_ the monster roared in fury. Suddenly, something in the middle of what was supposedly its forehead opened up, revealing an eye full of hatred. _i WiLl kIlL yOu...WITH MY BARE HANDS!_

"Not a chance!" Sonic shouted, his voice echoing across the plain...and the whole world. "You've had your night to destroy! The dawn is coming, and you can't stop it!"

"This is where it ends, you monster!" Ash shouted. The light grew brighter. "When this battle ends, one of us will fall and never rise again!"

 _THEN COME, YOU INSIGNIFICANT FOOLS!_ the fiend roared. _COME TO YOUR DEATHS!_

The final battle for the fate of the world began then and there.


	41. Chapter 41

Chapter 41: Generation Force

Everything that transpired from the moment Ash's diamond revealed its power to the end of this final battle is a mystery to me. Oh, I can easily tell you what happened, my friend. That is no secret. What is a secret is the underlying power that allowed Ash and Sonic to take on the darkness hand to hand.

The form Sonic took was unheard of to everyone, even Sonic himself. No one, to this day, knows the true extent of its power. All we can say for certain is that the energy that transformed him is far more powerful than anything this world has ever seen. Yet it is a mystery to us: a puzzle, a riddle. Thus, in referring to Sonic's mysterious form, I shall use the ancient word for something mysterious: he shall be called Nazo Sonic.

The monster they fought was, similar to the Nazo power, an abomination the likes of which the world had never seen before and, I sincerely hope, will never see again. After this, as Cynthia and I continued our research in the region of Ferrum, we were shocked to see the Gaia energy had been drained away. Only about twelve percent remained unharmed, and now it is slowly recovering. I deduced that the foul beast must have absorbed and then corrupted much of the energy in order to attain its final form. Thus, in order to give this monster a name, I shall refer to it as Dark Gaia.

But I have delayed this story's conclusion long enough. Allow me now to complete my discourse.

When Dark Gaia erupted from the earth, it did not simply stay in one place. Its darkness, by this point, had spread all around the world. Thus, the world over, dark creatures began erupting from the earth and destroying anything and everything in sight. What's worse, more portals to its dimension opened up in certain places, swallowing the landscape. As the earth's structure was severely weakened thanks to Dr. Eggman's machinations, which I detailed in the beginning, the planet was on the brink of collapse by the time the battle ended. A moment too late, and this world would be no more.

These monsters sought to wreak destruction, and for several minutes after they emerged, they went unhindered. They destroyed houses and Pokemon Centers, showing no mercy. But this was not to last, for the powers of ages past, present, and even the future – legendary Pokemon who held the world in balance – emerged to fight back against this otherworldly evil. The result was a massive, climactic battle on a global scale to save the world we love so much. Many of these legends which usually squabbled with one another put aside their differences and united to hold back the onslaught.

The titans of the air, the first legends ever discovered, rose from their slumber in the Shamouti Islands to fight back the darkness and protect harmony. Articuno's freezing power froze the strange creatures in place until they dissolved into darkness. Moltres burned them away slowly with its powerful flames. Zapdos was the most successful, utterly destroying every dark creature that had the misfortune of receiving its deadly electric attacks.

In the middle of the Johto region, Entei and Raikou joined forces to confront the monsters as they laid siege to the burned tower. Suicune, meanwhile, fought back the onslaught on Mt. Silver. In the sky, meanwhile, the great masters Lugia and Ho-Oh utter destroyed any creature that dared turn them the wrong way. But the darkness in the sky was too powerful even for them to vanquish. As time went on, they slowly wore out.

In the eastern sea of Hoenn, Groudon and Kyogre awakened from their slumber once again. After Groudon created a patch of land for itself in the midst of the sea, it tried to fight the creatures with a Solarbeam, but the darkness above prevented it from charging the necessary energy. The creatures began to swarm it, but Kyogre came to its rival's rescue, eliminating the fiendish devils with a torrent of rain. Groudon swiftly recovered and absorbed a mysterious energy from beneath its feet, transforming into its Primal form. Kyogre did likewise, and the sun poured down its rays on Groudon's forehead, greatly increasing its strength. Even the darkness could not withstand its ability to desolate the land. Kyogre, meanwhile, summoned a massive rainstorm over itself. Though the two weather phenomena seemed to be in conflict, they were actually, for the first time in history, merely coexisting as the two titans fought for their world...and for each other.

Rayquaza also rose from its resting place on Sky Pillar and fought alongside Groudon and Kyogre, but instead of stopping the phenomena they created, it amplified them, allowing them all to support each other. Thanks to the synergy they shared in that moment, Rayquaza was able to Mega-Evolve. Their combined power was powerful enough to hold back hordes and hordes of dark creatures, but only for so long.

The Eon Pokemon, Latios and Latias, also fought above the darkness and beneath the stars, as dark creatures were falling from the darkness and materializing on the earth. They were able to hold many of them back, but not all.

Of all the Pokemon to fight against the monsters, Darkrai had the easiest time. As it was a living embodiment of darkness itself, it was hardly affected by their onslaught. Nevertheless, it didn't dare venture far from where it was. Its counterpart, Cresselia, was severely weakened by the overhanging darkness, maybe on the verge of death, and the creatures who plagued the world were especially hellbent on killing her. Darkrai, however, cared deeply for Cresselia and wouldn't let any of the monsters get to her: it acted as a shield to protect her. Thanks to its near immunity to the dark power, the Lunar Pokemon was safe.

Regigigas rose from the Snowpoint Temple and summoned its underlings to fight back. They did just that, protecting Snowpoint City and all of Sinnoh from the wrath of the darkness. Meanwhile, the Pokemon known as the Swords of Justice and the Forces of Nature fought back in their own way. Reshiram and Zekrom also fought in anger against the monsters that threatened their home, while Kyurem was absolutely vicious and merciless in its rampage against the darkness.

Xerneas was, like Cresselia, weakened severely by the darkness, while Yveltal, like Darkrai, was practically immune. Because of this, the Pokemon of destruction fought viciously to protect Xerneas. Despite its efforts, the environment around them was weakening because of the darkness, and the Pokemon of life was slowly dying. While Yveltal was becoming desperate, Volcanion emerged from the depths of the earth in another location along with Heatran, and the volcanic activity they caused actually did more good than harm for once. The magma that flowed through the land fried every dark creature in its wake.

Zygarde, meanwhile, had transformed into its complete form. With its immense power, it easily overpowered any attack thrown its way, fighting to protect the environment it was created to protect. Thanks to its power, Xerneas was able to hold onto its life force.

Thus, the whole world fought with passion and vigor to defeat the onslaught of darkness. But for all their effort, it would make little difference in the end. Dark Gaia's power source was concentrated in a monstrosity in the middle of the Ferrum region. Everything depended on destroying this.

And there were only two who could defeat it.

* * *

 _cLeAnLiNeSs iS A GoOd pLaCe tO sTaRt_ Dark Gaia sneered. Two of the purple wisp-like tentacles on its back slashed down through the group of heroes in an attempt to wipe them out in one hit. Everyone got knocked onto their backs except for Sonic and Ash, but they all got back on their feet quickly. Then they all started throwing Pokeballs into the air, releasing their strongest Pokemon: from Misty's Gyarados to Serena's Braixen. Ash, meanwhile, took what he'd taken out of the backpack earlier and threw the three Pokeballs into the air, releasing Charizard, Sceptile, and a newly revived Greninja.

"All right, everyone!" Ash shouted. "Let's do this!"

"Gyarados!" Misty commanded, "Use Hydro Pump!"

"Steelix! Dragon Breath!" Brock said likewise.

The two serpentine Pokemon unleashed powerful blasts that slammed right into Dark Gaia's snake-like torso, knocking it back a little. _iNsOlEnT FoOlS!_ it snarled in anger.

"Togekiss!" Dawn shouted, "Aura Sphere!"

The winged Fairy-type opened its mouth and launched a powerful sphere of energy that slammed into Dark Gaia's neck. This attack in particular seemed to hurt Dark Gaia significantly more than the others, as it roared in pain. However, like always, it swiftly regained its composure and swiped at Togekiss with its bony hand. Togekiss barely dodged the attack, twirling gracefully through the air.

"Dragonite!" Iris commanded, "Give this thing a Dragon Rush to the face!"

Dragonite shot through the air, glaring all the while at Dark Gaia, and rammed into its face. For some reason, the monster was completely caught off-guard, as the force of the impact knocked its massive head to the side. It roared in pain as it did so.

"How about this?!" Sonic shouted, flashing into the air and slamming its other side. It reeled back again, roaring furiously. This time, however, it recovered its bearings quickly and snatched Sonic out of the air, choking him with its grip. "Guh! Why...can't I escape?"

"Oh no!" Ash exclaimed. "Charizard! Get Sceptile, Pikachu, and Greninja over there to save him!"

Charizard nodded as the three Pokemon climbed onto its back. It took off and flew right in front of Dark Gaia's face. Dark Gaia barely noticed them until Sceptile leapt up and slashed one side of its face with Leaf Blade, Greninja struck the other side with Water Shuriken, and Pikachu slammed into its eye with Iron Tail. At this, Dark Gaia released its grip on Sonic as it brought its hands up to its eye, howling in pain. Lightning flashed all around it as the Pokemon returned to their trainer.

"Good work, you guys," Ash saluted them.

"Whew!" Sonic wiped his brow. "Thanks, Ash."

"Take it easy out there, Sonic," Ash replied.

 _i'Ll ShReD yOu tO PiEcEs!_ Dark Gaia roared in fury. As if on cue, two more green eyes opened on its sides, staring down with the same hatred as the first eye.

"Oh yeah?" Tails retorted, bringing out his rocket launcher again. "Well, don't be too quick! I've got a nice little treat for ya! Sonic! Distract him for me!"

"Uh-oh," Sonic muttered. "Are you doing what I think you're doing?"

"You bet I am!" Tails grinned.

"Right, then," the white hedgehog nodded, and he flew in front of Dark Gaia's head. "Hey, you got any firebreath in there? Just curious. No need to demonstrate. A simple answer will do."

 _i pReFeR tO DEMONSTRATE!_ the monster roared, opening its mouth wide.

"Hook, line, and sinker," Tails grinned. Then he fired another rocket straight at the monster's open mouth. It went right in and detonated. The explosion came as a complete surprise to Dark Gaia, who swiftly reeled back in agony, clutching its mouth as though it were swollen. Though it quickly recovered as usual, its mouth was steaming now, though it was unclear whether this was from the explosion or its unstoppable rage. That was when it felt something poking its torso. Confused, it looked down and saw something climbing up its body.

"Say hello to your little friend!" Knuckles called up with a grin as he climbed the slimy body. Annoyed, Dark Gaia expelled a jet of darkness from its body and knocked him off. "Oof!" he grunted when he hit the ground again. "Ow…"

"Now that just had 'bad idea' written all over it," Ash grumbled.

"Where?" Knuckles asked in confusion. "I didn't see any writing. Besides, how would you know if there was writing on that body?"

"Anatomy class," Ash mumbled sarcastically. "You'd be surprised what you can learn there about snakes."

 _DIEEEEEEE!_ the fiend abruptly roared, unleashing a wave of darkness that knocked everyone onto their backs once again. This time, half of them were knocked out, along with their Pokemon.

"No!" Ash cried. "Misty! Brock!"

"Ungh," Brock grunted. Ash ran to each one of them to make sure they were still alive. When he confirmed this, he looked back at the monster angrily.

"You'll pay for that, you monster!" he shouted.

 _nOt BeFoRe i fInIsH yOu_ the fiend retorted as it swung its wisp-like tentacles. It whipped one at him in order to grab him.

"BRAIXEN! FIRE BLAST!"

Serena's signature Pokemon unleashed a powerful flaming attack that struck Dark Gaia, delaying its attack so Ash didn't get hit. But the fiend once again recovered and tried to knock the trainer out with its tentacle again. Before it could, however, Serena jumped in the way and took the hit. It hit her in the gut and knocked her to the ground

"SERENA!" Ash screamed in horror. He ran up to her body and cradled it in his arms. Her eyes were barely open. "Oh, no…" he whispered.

"Ash," she replied, her voice hoarse. "Don't worry about me."

"But Serena –"

She stopped him by putting a finger to his mouth. "I'll be fine. It just hurts, that's all. I...need a nap…" She started to slip into unconsciousness.

"But why'd you do that?" he asked, eyes glimmering. "You could have died!"

She smiled at him and giggled softly. "Iris was right," she said. "You really are a kid, huh?" Her eyes fluttered. "These are the kind of things you do...for the people...you... _love_ …"

With that, her hand fell limp and her eyes closed. Despite this, her mouth was still curved into a peaceful smile. A tear escaped out of each of Ash's eyes as he gently laid her down. He placed his fingers on her wrist. She had a pulse: she was alive. He sighed with relief, but that swiftly turned to anger as he stood back up.

"YOU!" Clemont suddenly shouted in rage at the monster. "You will pay for that! LUXRAY! USE WILD CHARGE, NOW!"

Luxray rushed forward, sharing its trainer's rage, and slammed into the bottom of Dark Gaia's torso, bouncing back afterwards. Dark Gaia responded by knocking both it and its trainer out with one of its tentacles.

Ash watched in terror as Clemont fell down. He ran over and checked to make sure he was still alive. He was. Then he stood up, his expression more surprised now than anything. _I've never seen Clemont look so angry before_ he thought. _Did it...have something to do with Serena?_

 _yOuR fRiEnDs aRe WeAk_ Dark Gaia snarled. Ash, the only one of his friends still conscious, looked up, fists clenched by his sides. Sonic slowly lowered to stand by him, still glowing a bright white. _wHeRe iS YoUr hOpE nOw?_

"In a place where you can't touch it," Ash replied. "But you've heard it all already, haven't you? You're sick of all the noble talk, aren't you? Well so am I! I think we've made it clear where we stand, and that we won't lose. The time for talking is over. It's time to make good on what we promised!"

No sooner had he finished saying this than Dark Gaia slowly rose up, towering over them. Suddenly, two more bony arms emerged as the side of its torso split open, a green liquid oozing out like blood. His wide head began to grow taller as its mouth, which spanned its whole width, opened. Seven green eyes were now visible, the one in the middle larger than the rest. It had a strange crystalline structure to it, but, like all the others, it was green with hatred.

Sonic's eyes widened. "It's the Shadow Synergy Stone!" he said.

"Well that explains a lot," Ash mused.

 _i WiLl nOt bE DeFiEd bY yOu!_ the monster snarled, its voice now echoing across the world. _wHeN i HaVe dEsTrOyEd yOu, ThE sUn aNd MoOn wIlL bOw DoWn bEfOrE mE!_

"Oh, really?" Sonic smirked. "Why don't you go ahead and tell them that? I'm sure they could use a laugh."

In response to his snarky remark, they heard a thunderous, majestic roar from the west and a calm, serene call from the east. Ash turned to the west and was shocked by what he saw.

A large, lion-like creature stood on a rock. It was a bright white with orange streaks all over its body. A blue gem was on its forehead, and it looked as though there were a galaxy in there. Ash looked to the east and saw a large, bat-like but beautiful creature hovering in the sky. Its wings were shaped like crescents, and the stars seemed to reside under them. A gem similar to the lion's was also in its head.

"Uh," Sonic blinked, "I was only joking, you know."

Suddenly, the darkness in the sky recoiled from the solar eclipse that Dark Gaia had made, or so we thought. Now, however, it was clear that the Pokemon they saw were responsible. It was a sign of hope: a strange one, but a sign nonetheless. Then the sky changed color: to the west, it glowed a bright orange with tints of golden, while to the east it brightened into a dark blue with tints of a royal purple. The east seemed similar to the darkness, but there was no menace in it.

Only hope.

 _WhAt?!_ Dark Gaia suddenly snapped. _mY pOwEr...FaDiNg?! NO! THIS CAN'T BE!_

"Fading?" Sonic raised a sharp eyebrow (or whatever he had). "If anything, I think he's stronger now than he was before. I thought this was his true form."

"I think he is," Ash agreed. "But those Pokemon seem to be reducing his power and purging the darkness." He turned to him with a smile. "Now's our chance. If we can finish him off now, we can save the world!"

"You really think you can do that without this kind of power?" Sonic asked, gesturing to himself.

"Nope," Ash shook his head with a grin as he held open his palm, which held the diamond. It was still glowing brightly. "That's why I'm gonna use it."

"What?!" Sonic exclaimed. "Ash –!?"

Before he could say another word, Ash raised the diamond above his head. Its light burst forth in a blinding spectacle that surrounded him and his Pokemon. Dark Gaia roared in agony and rage as it covered as many eyes as it could with its hands. When the light faded, Sonic gasped.

Pikachu glistened with a silver hue, and it looked as though he now wore armor. Charizard had Mega-Evolved into its Y form, Sceptile had also Mega-Evolved, and Greninja had transformed into Ash-Greninja. All of them, Ash included, glowed with a soft, white aura.

"Ash," Sonic said softly, "aren't you worried? Mastering the transformation with Greninja was hard enough. Do you really think you can maintain it with all of us?"

"This diamond has immense power," Ash replied. "I don't know if it's enough to keep the strain down, but we don't have much of a choice."

Sonic nodded slowly, and they turned towards Dark Gaia with determination. "Then let's do it," he said, rising into the air.

"Together!" Ash cried, mounting Charizard. They shot up into the air to fight Dark Gaia, the light of the sun and moon to their left and to their right, guiding them and renewing their hope. Dark Gaia glared at them in fury and prepared itself for its last battle.


	42. Chapter 42

Chapter 42: Eternity Bond

Dark Gaia unleashed a torrent of dark flames from its mouth. Sonic and Ash narrowly dodged it, while Greninja protected itself and Sceptile with a veil of water. The flames bounced harmlessly off of it.

"You first," Ash said quietly, patting Charizard's side. In response, Charizard unleashed a powerful Flamethrower attack at the monster's eyes. It closed its eyes to avoid the attack, but it couldn't completely shield itself. Regardless, it still swiftly recovered and swiped at Ash and Charizard with one of its claws. This time, it struck them and knocked them off-balance, but Charizard was able to recover quickly.

"All right!" Sonic grinned. "Let's have some fun, you monster!" He shot straight through the air towards the Shadow Synergy Stone that served as the monster's largest eye in the center of its mouth. In response, the monster shut it off to him with something resembling an eyelid. Despite the Nazo power he wielded, Sonic bounced off of it and fell back a bit.

"I don't think a direct approach is going to take this overgrown Arbok down," Ash said. "But that Shadow Synergy Stone is clearly the key to his power. If we can knock that out, he'll die."

Sceptile unleashed a Leaf Storm that headed straight for one of Dark Gaia's eyes, but it shut it off again. Greninja unleashed a massive Water Shuriken, but met the same result.

"Well, we won't be able to knock out that eyeball if he keeps shutting it off like that," Sonic grumbled.

"But we can't force it open either," Ash replied.

Their communication cut short when Dark Gaia swiped at them again. This time, it hit Sonic and knocked him through the air, but the hedgehog recovered quickly. Dark Gaia lifted a molten boulder up with one of its bottom claws and hurled it at him. He easily deflected it and shot through the air towards the monster's leftmost eye. He slammed full force into it. The reaction, though predictable, was no less vicious, as Dark Gaia reeled back and clutched its eye in pain. When it eventually regained its senses, it glared at Sonic angrily and slashed at him again. This time it missed, but struck Ash in the process. Ash was able to recover quickly, but Charizard took quite the hit. Regardless, the dragon-like Pokemon was still strong, since it was Mega-Evolved, and it flew up swiftly. Ash and Sonic glared back at the monster. Then something caught Ash's eye.

"Sonic!" he said. "His eye's closed!"

"Huh?" Sonic turned and saw that the eye he slammed into was, in fact, closed. "Heh! That must've hurt him quite a bit."

"Yes, it did," Ash nodded, pumping his fist with a determined smile. "And it looks like I was wrong earlier."

"Huh?"

"We _can_ force his eye open...if we shut all the other ones!"

Sonic listened, then nodded. "I get it!" he said. "Knock out all the other eyes and force the weak point open!"

"Bingo!" Ash said. "I'll take care of the eyes on the bright side, and you take care of the ones on the dark side."

"Consider it done!" Sonic grinned, giving him a thumbs-up. Then he shot off to accomplish his task.

"Okay," Ash said to himself. "Now we need to take out the eyes on this side of his head." He patted Charizard's side and pointed at Dark Gaia's rightmost eye. "Think you can aim a Flamethrower straight at that eye there, Charizard?"

" _Char_!" Charizard nodded with a smile.

"All right," he grinned. "Let's go!" With that, they shot through the air towards the monster's eye. Dark Gaia saw them coming and threw another molten boulder at them. They swerved out of the way, but Charizard's wing got nicked at the tip. It was a minor scrape, but it was hot enough to cause the fire-type to wince a little. They continued flying until they were right in front of the monster's eye.

"Now!" Ash cried. Charizard unleashed a torrent of fire that shot straight into Dark Gaia's rightmost eye. The agony had to be excruciating, as Dark Gaia reeled back more than it had before, clutching its smoldering eye as it howled in rage. This time, it took a while for it to recover and stand upright again. Ash wisely took this time to return to the small platform his Pokemon were on. He jumped off of Charizard, Pikachu in tow, and staggered a little. Sceptile put its arm out to help him, and he stood up again.

"Seems this diamond's power is starting to take a toll on me," he mused, looking at the glowing diamond in his hand. Its glow hadn't faded. "I think I need to get a little rest. Sceptile, do you think you could ride Charizard and get close enough to that eye to use Leaf Blade on it?" he asked, pointing to the next eye in the row.

" _Sceptile Scep_!" Sceptile nodded.

"Great," Ash grinned. Then he turned to Charizard. "Charizard, I need you to stay strong for us. The energy flowing through our bodies can only do so much for us, and if you get hurt too badly, it'll affect us, too. Plus, you're the only way any of us can get to those eyes. So from now on, don't focus on attacking that thing. Just focus on staying safe and getting Sceptile to the eye. Got it?"

" _Char_ ," Charizard nodded.

"Awesome," he smiled, patting his old, powerful Pokemon on the head. "Now go! Take him down!" The two Pokemon nodded and took off, with Sceptile mounted on Charizard's back.

"Hey, big fat and ugly!" Sonic taunted. "I'm over here!"

Dark Gaia glared at him and threw two molten boulders at him. This caught the powerful hedgehog off-guard and knocked him back a considerable distance. Regardless, being invincible, this could only hinder him so much, and he quickly began approaching his target once again. This time, he swerved erratically through the air, taking a varied approach. Dark Gaia struggled to follow him, its eyes darting about wildly in an effort to keep track of his location. Sonic's plan worked out perfectly, and before that monster knew what was happening, the hedgehog was right in front of its eye.

"Say cheese!" he shouted, delivering a powerful kick to the eye. Dark Gaia roared in pain, reeling back and clutching its eye. When it recovered, it glared angrily at Sonic. Suddenly, several dark rays of energy shot right at him. Only a few of them hit, but they caught him off guard. Dark Gaia raised a claw to take advantage of this opening.

"Sceptile!" Ash shouted, seeing what was about to happen. "Attack, now!"

Sceptile, now close enough to the eye to jump to it, nodded and leapt up, the leaves on its elbows glowing a bright green. It came down and slashed the monster's eye three times before it landed on Charizard again. Dark Gaia reeled back in pain once again, allowing Sonic to recover, then stood up to face its foes. By then, Charizard and Sceptile had returned to Ash, but they were all getting tired.

"This energy," Ash huffed. "It's getting to be too much. How can we –?"

" _Nin-ja_ ," Greninja said. The large shuriken on its back suddenly condensed and swirled around it in a veil.

"Greninja?" Ash blinked. "What are you doing? You're using the incomplete form of –?" Then his eyes lit up. "Oh, I get it! You're conserving power."

" _Ja_ ," Greninja nodded.

"Hm," Ash mused, looking over himself and his Pokemon. "Maybe that'll make us a little stronger, but by how much? Charizard should probably rest his wings before taking flight, but –"

"HAAH!" Sonic shouted, taking out the next eye. Dark Gaia reeled back in pain once again. Then the hedgehog returned to the meadow, panting as well.

"Tired?" Ash asked.

"This energy's really sapping it out of me," he muttered.

"It's because we're all sharing it," Ash said. "Greninja's using a less powerful form to conserve, so we should be able to recover."

"Well, until then, I can't really fly," Sonic shrugged apologetically. "I might pass out."

Dark Gaia clutched the meadow they stood on with its hands and glared at them with its remaining two eyes. They were filled with anger.

"Uh-oh," Sonic muttered.

Greninja stepped forward, still surrounded by a veil of water. Then it bent down, while the veil mimicked its movements. Then the top of the veil glowed brightly.

"What?" Ash exclaimed. Then the veil shot up into the air in an aquatic vortex, with Greninja at the apex, and collided with the monster's eye. Dark Gaia retreated, removing its claws from the meadow and clutching its eye. When it recovered, it was blind in six eyes. Only the Shadow Synergy Stone remained.

"This is our chance!" Sonic grinned, pumping his fist. The energy flowing through them flared in their auras.

"It's now or never," Ash nodded, mounting Charizard once again. Pikachu climbed on his shoulder. He turned to Sceptile and Greninja. "That was a good idea, Greninja," he said. "I think I'll call that one 'Hydro Vortex.'"

" _Nin-ja_ ," Greninja grinned, nodding in approval.

"Yeah, like that'll ever catch on," Sonic mumbled.

"Think you can do it again?" Greninja nodded. "All right, then. Sceptile, I know you're a Grass-type, but do you think you can use Surf?"

"Huh?" Sonic blinked, puzzled.

Sceptile looked confused for a moment as well, but then it understood what Ash was saying and nodded. "Excellent," Ash grinned. "Now, let's finish this once and for all!" With that, Charizard, Ash, Pikachu, and Sonic shot into the sky.

They flew in front of the eye, which glared at each of them in anger and hatred. Suddenly, several tentacles erupted from beneath them and wrapped around them, tangling them up. "No!" Ash cried.

"Not now!" Sonic grunted.

They struggled to escape their bonds, but to no avail. Suddenly, they heard the roar of the sun-like Pokemon and the call of the moon-like Pokemon from their left and right. The tentacles that seized them writhed erratically and let them go, allowing them to face down the Shadow Synergy Stone once again. By now, Dark Gaia had lost the ability to communicate comprehensively. All it could do now was roar and hiss at them, revealing its true primal nature.

"All right!" Ash shouted. "Pikachu! Use Thunderbolt!"

" _Piiiikaaaaa...CHUUUUUUU!_ " Pikachu shouted, unleashing its signature attack. It struck one of the corners of the eye, forcing it to stay open while Dark Gaia hissed in pain.

"Charizard! Flamethrower!"

Charizard roared and unleashed a torrent of flames that burned another corner of the eye, causing the stone to shudder as though it were having a seizure. At this point, Greninja shot through the sky again in its veil of water, with Sceptile riding the wave.

"Oh, that's what he meant!" Sonic said, grinning.

"Sceptile! Solarbeam!"

"What?!" Sonic exclaimed. "But Ash, that takes time to –"

He was interrupted by Sceptile unleashing a fully-charged Solarbeam attack that struck Dark Gaia's eye in a third corner. By now, the monster was howling in agony as its eye felt as though it were being torn out of its head.

"What?" Sonic blinked. "How did he –?"

"The sun's energy is to our left," Ash grinned cheekily at him. "Did you really think Solarbeam would be hard to pull off?"

"Oh," Sonic shrugged. "I guess the expert knows best."

"Greninja!" Ash called. "Hydro Vortex!"

Greninja slammed into the fourth corner of the eye. The stone was in such agony, it was starting to retreat into its head a bit. It was useless; it had nowhere to go, and it could see nothing. The combined power of Grass, Fire, Water, and Electric Pokemon held it still as the four attacks suffocated the Shadow Synergy Stone.

"Now, Sonic!" Ash cried. "Finish it off!"

Sonic shot through the sky, eyes locked onto his target. He shot right at it, positioning himself so that he would hit the middle of the eye. Before Dark Gaia knew what was happening, he collided with the eye. Energy crackled and exploded as he forcibly pushed the eye farther and farther into the head. Suddenly, Dark Gaia's body began to crack like glass. It started from below and slowly extended to its whole form until the entire head looked ready to shatter at a moment's notice. Then, with an ear-shattering scream, Dark Gaia's body shattered into a million pieces and fell into the abyss from which it sprung. Only the Shadow Synergy Stone, weak and nearly broken, remained behind, floating in the air. Then it, too, fell into the void and disappeared.

The battle was over. The light had won. Darkness was vanquished.

Ash nodded and steered Charizard back to the meadow. But before they could return, a dark, string-like energy suddenly shot out of the void and latched onto Ash's wrist. Another string shot out and snagged his other wrist. Then, with a fierce pull, Ash found himself yanked off of Charizard and falling into the void as Pikachu and Charizard called his name in horror.

"NO!" Sonic screamed. "HANG ON, ASH!" He shot down into the void at the speed of light. The Nazo energy streamed behind him as he pursued his captive friend. Before long, he caught up to him and saw that the dark strings that bound him were coming from the Shadow Synergy Stone!

"Sonic!" Ash screamed.

"You lousy good-for-nothing piece of dirt!" Sonic yelled at the stone. "You just don't know when to give up, do you?!" He boosted towards them and headbutted the stone. Its grip on Ash loosened, but not enough to free him. The trainer continued to plummet into the void, with Sonic in hot pursuit. More strings shot out of the stone and continued to latch onto Ash, slowly wrapping him in a cocoon of darkness. As his body was slowly swallowed by the strings, his uncovered left hand reached for Sonic. Just as the string was about to seize that, too, they grasped each other's hands.

Then, with a flash of light, Ash suddenly found himself tumbling over in the meadow. He quickly stood up and looked back down at the void. His eyes were frantic as he feared the worst.

"Sonic!" he called. "Where are you?!"

 _Don't worry about me, Ash._

His eyes widened at the voice in his head. "Sonic, is that you?"

 _Yes_ Sonic replied. _Listen: I used up most of the power we have left to save you._

"Save me?" Ash whispered. He stiffened when he realized what Sonic was implying. "Wait, Sonic NO!"

 _Don't hurt yourself worrying about me_ Sonic replied. _There may be so little power left, but there's still just enough to make everything right in the world again._

"Sonic, stop!" Ash cried. "Don't do this!"

 _I have to_ came the reply. _Someone has to make things right._

"SONIC, NO!" Ash screamed hysterically.

 _Ash_ Sonic said softly, _You...must...live._

And that was the last time he heard the hedgehog's voice. As he heard these words, a beam of light erupted from the void and shot into the sky. Waves of light gently flowed across the sky, purging what remained of the darkness as the sky regained its normal hue. The Pokemon who stood to the east and west turned away and disappeared: their job was done.

All across the world, the fragmented pieces of our world slowly returned to their proper places. Anything that the darkness had destroyed, corrupted, or harmed in any way was made new as the light spread across the whole world, bathing every living thing in its soft glow. As the world came together once again, the legends that rose to fight the darkness slowly returned to their slumber, and the dark portals vanished without a trace.

The last portal to vanish was the one in Ferrum. As Ash saw it disappear, he suddenly felt very weary. Exhaustion consumed his body. As it did so, he saw one more thing in his mind:

The Shadow Synergy Stone had disappeared. Nazo Sonic hovered there a moment. Then, the glow of his body slowly faded as he returned to his natural blue state. Exhaustion consumed him, too. As his eyes closed, he fell into the void, becoming smaller and smaller until he was gone.

"Ash?"

Ash didn't hear Misty's voice. Still wide-eyed, he fell to his knees, and finally collapsed in exhaustion.


	43. Chapter 43

Chapter 43: Dear My Friend

"Is that the end?"

Mordecai's stone gaze didn't waver as he nodded. "Yes," he nodded. "After that, the two gym leaders of Kanto rushed him here to the Ferrum Hospital."

His companion, an elderly man with a youthful appearance, turned back and looked at the young man as he slept. His wild raven hair was more untamed than usual, as he hadn't been able to do it in a week. He only wore his undershirt and his boxers, while the rest of his clothes were neatly folded on a table by the side. His red cap sat on top of them.

"How long has he been here?" the man asked.

"A week," Mordecai replied. "He's been in a coma the whole time, though the staff's measurements indicate that he's in no danger of death."

"Extraordinary," the other man breathed in amazement. "And this Nazo stone you speak of...do you believe –?"

"I don't know what to think of it," Mordecai interrupted. "The power it contains reminds me of another power I once knew well. But it is still a mystery to me. Indeed, if I may be truthful, I have only told you what I myself know of this, though I hope those who sacrificed so much to save our world will fill in the missing details."

"I see," the man nodded. "Then I suppose there is nothing left to do here. The boy will recover his strength soon enough. I will go to Pallet Town and wait for you there. You say you and Cynthia have unfinished business here in Ferrum?"

"Yes," Mordecai nodded. "Take care of yourself, Willow."

"Of course, old friend," the man nodded. Then, with that, he turned and walked out briskly, followed slowly by Mordecai.

Inside the hospital room, the young man's eyes fluttered. He blinked rapidly as the light of the hospital blinded him briefly. "Mm," he grunted. "Hm...huh?" His eyes were fully open now, glistening auburn. "Wha...where am I? What –"

"Ash?"

He blinked and slowly sat up, grimacing slightly as he did so. "Ugh!" he grunted. "My back."

"Ash!"

"Huh? Waaah!" Ash suddenly cried as he felt someone smother him with a tight embrace.

"I'm so glad you're awake," the person's voice said again.

"Misty?" Ash said, wriggling out of her embrace. "Where am I? And how did I get here? The last thing I remember –"

"You passed out after you defeated that monster," Misty explained. "Brock and I brought you here and haven't left your side since then."

"Oh," Ash whispered. "How long has it been? A few hours?"

"Actually, it's been a week," Brock replied.

"What?!"

"Whatever that energy was, it really took its toll on you," the former gym leader went on. "Are you feeling okay?"

"Well, my back's a little stiff," the trainer mumbled, stretching his back out a little to get rid of the kinks. "I guess that makes sense if I've been out for a week. What happened since then? Last I recall, I was staring down at that dark void. Then it disappeared, and then...everything went black…" His face fell as he slowly remembered what had happened.

"Well, it's like we said," Misty replied cheerily, not noticing her best friend's sudden change in mood. "We rushed you back here and stayed with you until now."

"Anything else?"

"Not really," Brock shrugged. "Communication with outside regions is difficult here, so we haven't really gotten much of an update."

"There was that Mordecai guy out there," Misty said. "He was talking to that other old guy for the whole week, telling him what happened."

"Well, it is a long story, right?" Brock chuckled.

"I guess so," Misty chuckled with him. They turned to Ash, only to see that his back was turned to them, slightly hunched over. She blinked, puzzled. "Ash?"

"Is everything okay?" Brock asked.

For a moment, there was silence. Then Ash turned his head slightly to look at them. "I, uh…" he started, trying to hold his emotions back. "I need to be alone for a while," he said. He then turned to face them fully. "Thanks for sticking around for me, by the way," he smiled. "You guys really are the best."

"Of course, Ash," Misty smiled. "You know you can always count on us." With that, she stood up. "See you later."

"You gonna head back to Pallet Town soon?" Brock asked as they started to walk out.

"I don't know," Ash shook his head, turning away again. "I really don't know."

If he had eyes, Brock would have blinked in confusion. Before he could ask another question, however, Misty gently but firmly pulled him out by the arm. She quietly closed the door behind them and walked away to give him privacy.

"That was strange," Brock mused.

"What do you mean?" Misty asked.

"Ash isn't the kind of guy who doesn't know what he's going to do next," he said. "Normally, after an adventure like what we had, he'd talk about going back home and seeing his mom again. He's always excited about that. Why would he not know what he's going to do next?"

"Hm," Misty mused. "You're right. That isn't like him at all. And he said he wanted to be alone…"

Back in his room, Ash sat on his bed and looked down at his hands. They trembled as his eyes glimmered. He blinked rapidly as though fighting tears. There hadn't been a sound since Misty and Brock left. But as his emotions began to take hold, one word escaped his lips:

" _Sonic_ …"

With that, the young man held his head in his hands as he burst into tears, moaning that same word over and over again. "Sonic...oh, Sonic!"

* * *

"This is where he was last seen," Mordecai said as he brushed his battle-worn hand over the dirt for the seventh time. They were in the shadow of the meadow.

"Then...he's really gone?" Cynthia whispered, her face sad.

"It appears so," Mordecai sighed. "Sonic the Hedgehog is no more."

Over to the side, Tails was on his hands and knees, sobbing and pounding the ground as the tears muddied the ground. Amy had her head in her hands, sobbing just as hard. Knuckles simply stood there, arms folded and eyes closed. A tear fell from his eye every now and again.

"What should we tell them?" Cynthia asked her partner.

"Why should we say anything?" Mordecai snapped back. He pointed to the grieving creatures from another world. "It's clear they've heard enough."

"Yes," she said. "It is." Then a glimmer on the ground a short distance away caught her eye. "What?"

"Hm?" Mordecai looked up. They walked over to it and found a diamond, clear as glass and unscratched, buried in the dirt. Cynthia picked it up and dusted it off. It glowed suddenly for a moment, blinding them, then it returned to normal.

"What is this?" she wondered.

Mordecai smiled softly to himself. "The Nazo stone…"

* * *

Several hours had passed. It was night again, and the serene call of that mysterious Pokemon could be heard if someone listened. The moon was full tonight, shining brighter than ever before. Then again, maybe people thought that was so because of the darkness that plagued them for so long. Whatever the case, it was full.

Although he was clear to go, Ash remained in his hospital room, sleeping in his usual sprawled out manner. Despite this, his face sported a perpetual grimace.

A dark figure walked in, unseen and unheard. It looked at his sleeping form and slowly walked up to it. Then it placed its hand on his shoulder.

"Wake up," it whispered.

Ash's eyes immediately shot open. "Huh?"

"Are you hurt?"

Ash turned over in his bed, his back still sore from being in a coma, and blinked. "Shadow? Is that you?"

The black hedgehog nodded. The young trainer reached over and turned on a lamp. "What are you doing here?" he asked.

"I came to check on you," Shadow replied. "I heard you had recovered from your coma. I didn't believe it at first because you hadn't gone home, but it seems I was correctly informed."

"Yeah," Ash sighed.

"So why are you still here?"

"I…" he started, but then he turned away, still laying on his side. "I don't want to talk about it."

"It's Sonic, isn't it?" Shadow said without hesitation.

"Leave me alone."

"I didn't come here to pester you, Ash."

"Good. Then leave."

"I can't do that, either."

Ash turned back to the hedgehog in annoyance, and he made it clear with a glare. "Look," he said, "I'm having a hard time right now, okay? One of my best friends just died a week ago, and I haven't had time to grieve. I want to be alone."

"I know," Shadow nodded, holding something out to him. "That's why I came."

Ash was about to retort when he saw what Shadow was holding out to him. "A Chaos Emerald?"

"We've been searching for them all week," the black hedgehog explained.

"Did you find them all?"

"Yes," Shadow nodded, pulling up a sack and dumping out its contents. Ash counted the emeralds, but something wasn't right.

"Only six?" he blinked, looking up at Shadow in confusion.

"Yes."

"You said you found them all."

"I did," Shadow replied. "And I wasn't lying."

"What do you mean?"

"Hold the emerald in your hand," Shadow instructed, placing the dark blue emerald in his hand. "You'll see what I mean."

"No," Ash shook his head, giving it back. "I was told not to do anything of the sort for another month, as it might knock me into another coma."

Shadow looked irritated for a moment, but then his expression softened in understanding. "Then keep it with you," he said. "When you're ready, do as I said. Oh, and take this, too." He handed him the diamond. Ash held it in his palm, seemingly admiring it.

"Where did you find this?" he asked.

"We found it while searching for the emeralds," Shadow replied. "I thought you might want it back."

"I don't know," Ash mused. "The power it holds is...immeasurable. I think it's even greater than the Master Emerald. If it fell into the wrong hands, the whole world could be threatened."

"I know," Shadow said again. "That's why I'm giving it to you: to protect it. If you find someone else who can do that better than you, then let them have it. But right now, you're the only one I trust to take care of this."

"Oh," Ash said quietly. He sighed and stood up. "Well, thanks...I guess." He walked over to his clothes, still sitting neatly folded on the table. "I guess I'll be going, now."

"Wait."

"What is it?" Ash asked as he picked up his pants and put them on.

"It's about May."

"May?" Ash perked, his eyes becoming more lively than they'd been all day. In his grief for Sonic, he'd forgotten all about her. "How is she?"

"She's still in a coma," Shadow replied. "But she's slowly recovering. We're not sure how long it'll be before she wakes up again, but I'm confident she'll be okay."

"Have you been watching over her this whole time?" Ash asked, putting on his overshirt and picking up his gloves.

"I was until Cynthia and that Mordecai guy called me back to Ferrum. Since then, I had Serena keep watch over her."

"Serena!?" Ash exclaimed. A smile slowly broke out on his face as he realized what that meant.

"Yes."

"Okay," Ash said softly, completing his attire by putting on his cap. "Thanks, Shadow. Will I see you around?"

"More or less," the hedgehog shrugged. "What are you going to do?"

"I don't know," the trainer mused. "I guess I'll start off by going home. I'm sure Mom's really worried about me."

"Take care of yourself, then," Shadow replied. "I'll take care of May for you."

He smiled genuinely at Shadow. "Thanks, Shadow." He bent down and extended his hand to shake. Shadow took it, and then Ash stood up and walked away. As he was about to go out the door and back into the world, he turned back one more time. "So long, Shadow," he called back softly. "Until we meet again."

"So long, Ash," Shadow nodded, then turned away and disappeared. Seeing this, Ash turned and walked outside. The door closed softly behind him.


	44. Chapter 44

Chapter 44: Stars

The journey back home was slow and solemn for Ash. Shortly after he left the hospital, his Pokemon had returned to him. He recalled them all except for Pikachu, who resumed his usual place on his shoulder. He was concerned for his trainer's well-being, as the young man said nothing on the journey. His eyes were perpetually covered by the visor on his hat. Wordlessly and without any change in expression, Ash walked from the Ferrum hospital to the nearest harbor, where he got on a boat for home. The ride was slow but peaceful.

When he arrived, the sun was just starting to peek over the horizon. He walked through town, showing no signs of excitement at being home as usual. He saw his house and didn't pick up the pace. Before he knew it, he was on his front doorstep. He looked up so his eyes were no longer hidden and rang the doorbell. He heard a shuffling inside, then a lock turned. Then the door opened.

His mother stood there, a mix of surprise and relief on her face at seeing him home. He gazed directly into her eyes, not bothering to hide his sadness. He didn't have to look up to see her face either; he had grown so much, and he was now just as tall as she was. They looked at each other a moment more. Then Ash stepped forward and put his arms around her, leaning his head on her shoulder. She gasped, slightly surprised at his affection, but she smiled softly as she returned his embrace.

And so they stood there, mother and son, reunited once more. Both of them had small tears in their eyes, but for different reasons. That didn't matter in the moment, though. All that mattered was that, even if it was only for a day or two, they were together again.

* * *

"You seem anxious," Mordecai said as he and his friend, Willow, ascended the small hill outside of Pallet Town.

"I am," Willow nodded. "You remember our observations some time ago when we discovered the stars had changed?"

"Yes," the old man nodded. "Have they changed again?"

"Perhaps," he replied with a shudder. "Take a look for yourself."

Mordecai looked into Willow's telescope. His eyes widened in shock. "I...I don't believe it."

"It's quite a sight, isn't it?"

Mordecai shot up quickly. "The constellations have completely rearranged!" he breathed. "But...how can that be?!"

"This monster you told me of," Willow said, "Dark Gaia, you called it – its dimensional rifts are the only thing that could have caused this. Its dimension has completely subverted everything we have ever known."

"Then perhaps the darkness won after all," Mordecai hissed thought clenched teeth. "This subversion of time and space could tear apart reality as we know it!"

"We have only one option. We must locate Dark Gaia's dimension and destroy it."

"But how?!" Mordecai exclaimed. "How can we find this dimension without further subverting time and space?! And even if we did find it and entered it...what would we find there?!"

The two elderly men continued to discuss their frightening find. Little did they know that Mordecai's question actually had an answer.

A certain blue hedgehog had already found it.

* * *

"Okay, let's see," Ash said to himself as he browsed the store shelves. "Black olives? No. Oran jelly? Nah. Hm...oh, here it is!" He picked up a small jar. "Tomato spice. Heh...this reminds me of that one time I accidentally ate a tomato berry. Remember that, Pikachu?"

" _Pika pikachu_ ," Pikachu chuckled, rubbing the back of his head in embarrassment.

"Yeah, that was embarrassing," Ash blushed slightly. He shrugged and put the jar in his basket. "Man...when was the last time I went shopping for Mom?"

" _Pika_ ," Pikachu shrugged.

"Well, you wouldn't know. It was before I became a trainer." He smiled as he picked another item off the shelf. "I hated it back then, but I guess that's no shock. I don't like sitting still and behaving." He put the basket down as he bent down to pick an item off the bottom shelf. "But now...it feels kinda nostalgic." He smiled to himself with a chuckle as he stood up. "I didn't realize I missed this so much. Kinda strange, huh?"

" _Pikachu_."

He chuckled as well, and they walked over to get in line. As the line moved along, the customers in front of him dropped a toy Pokedex.

"Oops!" one of them exclaimed.

"Here, I got it," Ash grinned, bending down and picking it up.

"Oh, thank you – wait, Ash?!"

"Huh?!" he started. "Iris! What are you doing here?"

"Uh," Iris stammered. "I was...going shopping! I'm going to go home soon, and I wanted to get food for the journey."

"Oh!" Ash smiled. "Well, that's a lot of food for one plane ride, doncha think?"

"You rubbed off on me," she winked at him. They chuckled. "So, how have you been?"

"Uh," Ash started, but his expression saddened a little as he went on. "I've been recovering."

"Recovering?"

"Yeah. I fell into a small coma after that last battle with that monster. I'm better now, but I'm still recovering. Plus, losing Sonic really hurt."

"Yeah," Iris nodded sadly. "I'm sorry."

"Don't be," Ash smiled softly. "It wasn't your fault. It wasn't anyone's fault."

"I know. It's just...as far as being friends with creatures from another world goes, you two were best buddies. I'm sure it hurt when we lost him."

"Yeah," Ash nodded, his smile gone. "I have to remind myself every day that if he were still here, he'd want me to go on with my life and chase my dreams."

"That'll be fifty Pokedollars," the clerk interrupted him. He handed him a wad of cash and took his stuff and left with Iris.

"Well, I wish you the best," she smiled at him.

"Thanks Iris," he replied. "I know we don't hang out that much anymore, but I still think you're a good friend."

Iris grinned and hugged him. "See you later, kiddo!"

"See you later, Wild-style."

"Hey!" she shouted indignantly. "You know that's copyrighted, right?!"

"Like I care," Ash grinned, adjusting his hat. "No copyright law in the universe is going to hold me back!"

They laughed at that. When their chuckles subsided, she smiled at him. "Goodbye, Ash."

"Goodbye, Iris," he said. "Take care of yourself."

"You, too," she nodded. Then she walked away, and so did Ash.

* * *

 **Next time: a new beginning!**


	45. Endless Possibilities

Endless Possibilities

 _The sound of music and dancing fill his ears. His eyes shoot open, and he looked around. "Where am I?" he asks. He's on a beach. People are all around him, playing in the water. He sees Pokemon he's never seen before playing with them. "Whoa!" he exclaims. "What are those Pokemon?!" He starts running forward, only to trip over his feet. "Ah!" he exclaims, getting up. "Huh?" he says as he feels the way his clothes fit him. He looks at himself and sees that he is wearing a t-shirt with blue and white stripes. His pants are black with red cuffs at the bottom, and his ankles are completely exposed. A strange device is on his wrist._

 _He looks up and notices a large splash of water coming right at him. "Ack!" he cries as he gets soaked. "Jeez. What was that?"_

" _Argh! You darn, good-for-nothing kids!"_

" _Huh?" he blinks, turning to see a girl sitting not far from him. She has long blonde hair and is dressed in a bright dress. She wears white stockings and a large, white hat. Some kids are nearby splashing more water at her and laughing at her. The book in her lap gets soaked as they do so._

" _Hey!" he shouts at them. "Knock it off, will ya?" The kids, all smaller than him, shirk in fear that he might hurt them. Then they run away. He blinks in surprise. "Wow," he says to himself. "That was so easy, I almost feel guilty." He turns to the girl. "Are you okay?"_

" _Yeah," she nods. "It's just a splash, that's all. Stupid kids."_

 _He ignores her remark and extends a hand. "My name's Ash," he says. "I'm from Pallet Town in Kanto!"_

" _Kanto?" the girl looks up at him in surprise. He sees her bright green eyes for the first time and is almost startled by them. "That's really far away, isn't it?"_

" _Is it?" he asks dumbly. "Speaking of 'far away,' can you tell me where I am?"_

" _Huh?" she says. "You don't know where you are?"_

" _Well, no," he shakes his head. "I just woke up and found myself here, really."_

" _I see," the girl nods, eyeing him warily. Then she smiles genuinely, stands up, and extends a hand to him. "I'm Lillie! Welcome to the region of Alola!"_

" _Alola!" he repeats in excitement. He shakes her hand excitedly. "Wow, a new region! Are there Pokemon here that can't be found anywhere else?"_

" _Yes there are!" she nods._

" _Wow! Can you show me –"_

" _Lillie!"_

 _She looks to the inland. "Uh-oh," she says. "Hey, Ash, it was nice to meet you, but I kinda have to go."_

" _What?" Ash says. "But could you at least tell me where some new Pokemon are?"_

" _Lillie, let's go!"_

" _Maybe later," she replies. "Right now, I have to go. Bye, Ash! Come visit the lab sometime, okay?" She runs off._

" _Wait, Lillie!" he calls, running after her. "Where are you going? I don't even know where I am! Do you at least have a map? LILLIE, WAIT!"_

 _At that moment, he trips on his feet again and sees the ground coming right up to meet his face, when –_

* * *

Ash's eyes shot open. He looked up and down and saw that he was in his bedroom back home. He blinked, trying to process what had happened, then exhaled as he realized. "It was just a dream," he said. "Wow...that was...kinda cool, actually." He chuckled to himself and sweatdropped.

A month had passed since Dark Gaia's defeat. Although Ash had mostly recovered his usual temperament since then, he still didn't know what to do. Every day seemed to be less eventful than the last, and he thought we was starting to go insane. He sighed as he laid back down, but he didn't stay there long as the morning sun indicated that it was time to get up. He sighed, stood up, and walked over to his dresser to get dressed. When he opened the top drawer, however, something softly hit the inside of the drawer from rolling around. His eyes widened.

"The Chaos Emerald," he said to himself. Shadow's words echoed in his mind: _Then keep it with you. When you're ready, do as I said._

He sat on the bed with the emerald in his hand. "Well, I guess now's as good a time as any," he shrugged. With that, he held it in the center of his palm. It glowed a deep blue and illuminated his hand. He closed his eyes as six different senses flew through his head at once. He grimaced at first in confusion, but then he calmed himself and listened to them. _It's the location of the emeralds_ he thought. _This emerald is calling to them. Is that what Shadow meant when he said he knew where the last one was?_ Curiosity got the better of him, and he concentrated his mind on locating the missing emerald. As it turned out, it was the bright blue one. What he discovered astonished him.

 _It's...not in this world?!_ he thought. _But where is it? Hm...what? Darkness? Evil? It's...that other dimension? But how could it be there?_

He concentrated harder, and discovered that someone actually had the emerald. It was protecting them. He saw a vague image of the someone in his mind, and it gradually grew clearer. _Wait...can it be?_

The figure turned to face him.

"GAH!" he screamed, jumping back as the vision abruptly ended. His back was against the wall as he breathed quickly, his eyes wide with shock. As he recovered his senses, reality began to hit him.

"Ash?" Delia said, coming in and seeing her son on the wall made her worried. "Are you okay?"

"He's alive," Ash whispered incomprehensibly.

"What?"

He looked at his mom in excitement. "He's alive!" he cried, a smile bursting onto his face. "Sonic's alive!"

"What?!" Delia exclaimed. "Ash, what are you – WAAAAH!"

She got cut off by her overjoyed son bear-hugging her while laughing. She tried to pull him off, but she had to resort to force when her oxygen supply started to leave. "Ash, get off of me this instant!" she ordered.

That brought him back to reality, and he let her go, shaking with excitement. "Sorry, Mom," he said. "I got a little carried away." He started to calm down, though he was still very happy.

"And what's making my favorite son so happy this morning?" she asked, smiling brightly.

"It's Sonic, Mom," he said. "He's alive! I saw him!"

"Ash, you were dreaming," she said, hands on her hips. "You told me yourself that he sacrificed himself to save you."

Ash was about to protest, but instead he shrugged as though in defeat. "Yeah, I guess you're right," he said. _Well, it's technically true, right? I was dreaming...just not about him._

"Well, why don't you get dressed and get ready?" she smiled again. "After all, we're finally going on that vacation today!"

"Huh? Vacation?"

"Yes," she said, slightly annoyed. "That vacation we've been planning for a month."

"Oh!" Ash exclaimed. "That's right! Vacation! Ha! I forgot about that! Right! Okay! I'll start packing!"

Delia just smiled in amusement and shook her head as she closed the door. "That's my son," she said to herself as she walked down the stairs. "Even at the age of 18, he's still just as much a child as he was at the age of ten."

No sooner had she finished descending the stairs when she heard a knock at the door. "Hm?" she said. "Who could that be?"

* * *

"All right!" Ash grinned, dressed in his blue shirt, black and red gloves, and red and white cap. "Ready to go on vacation, Pikachu?"

" _Pi-Pikachu_!" Pikachu cheered.

"Awesome!" he grinned, locking up his sloppily-packed suitcase and pulling it to the door. "Let's go!" He opened to door, only to see his mother there. She was startled when the door opened. "Ah!" he exclaimed, also startled. "Sorry, Mom."

"Oh, that's okay," she smiled. "Ready to go already?"

"Yup!"

"That's good, because there's someone here to see you."

"Huh?" he raised an eyebrow. "Who is it?"

"Why don't you go and see for yourself?" she winked at him. He looked at Pikachu as though to ask what he thought, but the yellow rodent's guess was as good as his. Shrugging, he walked down the stairs and into the living room. To his surprise, he found a young woman with long, golden hair standing there.

"Serena?" he said, his eyes wide with surprise.

"Hey there, Ash!" she grinned, waving shyly at him. "How have you been?"

"Great!" Ash replied with excitement. "Mom and I are going on vacation today!"

"I know!" Serena nodded. "That's why I'm here."

"Are you coming too?" he asked, eyes lighting up.

"Oh no, not me!" she giggled.

"Oh," he said, his face falling slightly.

"But there is someone outside who wants to go with you, and I think you'll like having her along!"

"Oh, okay!" he smiled. "You sure you don't wanna come, though? I'm sure we can get you another ticket."

"Do you know how expensive those tickets are?" she asked, glaring at him playfully. "You're lucky your mom managed to get even three of them for you!"

"Oh, yeah," he shrugged. "I guess you're right." His expression changed to one of curiosity. "So, who's outside?"

"Go see for yourself!" she grinned.

Still confused as ever, Ash walked to the door and slowly opened it. Then he gasped.

The figure standing before him had its back to him, but it was clearly a young woman, as the sun shining in front of her revealed. Long brown hair cascaded down her back, stopping at her waist. She wore a short, red skirt, black stockings, and black and white sneakers. She also wore dark fingerless gloves with white and red cuffs.

"Um...excuse me?" Ash said. The young woman turned her head slightly to see him. "My friend Serena said you wanted to talk to me about going on vacation." He blinked and squinted. "You look kinda familiar. Do I know you?"

She then turned to fully face him, a bright smile on her face. "Really, Ash?" she giggled. "After all the times you kissed me? I thought you'd be able to recognize me a little easier than that!"

Ash's jaw fell to the floor. " _MAY?!_ No, you can't be May!"

But as he continued to look at her face, all his doubts rapidly disappeared. She wore a dark tank top and a pink vest over her torso. Her hair, normally parted in two bangs, was now styled in a more traditional format.

"Can't I?" she winked at him. She still had those same sapphire eyes.

Ash was still in shock, but that was no longer because of May's sudden change in appearance. He slowly walked towards her, eyes wide and mouth hanging open until he was right in front of her.

"May," he whispered, still in disbelief, though not so much that he couldn't speak clearly.

"What?" she smiled. "Are you really that surprised to see me?"

"Well...yeah...I mean, I wasn't sure when you were going to wake up, but...I mean, I…" he stammered.

"Ash?" she said, still smiling.

"I…"

"..."

Finally, he lunged forward and tightly embraced her. "I love you," he said, his mouth right beside her ear.

Although she was slightly caught off-guard by his suddenness, she quickly relaxed and returned his embrace. "I love you, too," she whispered, sending goosebumps down his spine. Then she pulled away from him. "But is that really the best thing you could come up with? After being apart for a month, is that the only thing you can say?"

"Sorry," Ash shrugged. "It's just...you look…" He trailed off.

"I look what?"

He smiled softly at her. "You look...amazing...no, outstanding...no, that's not it, either! Beautiful? No, too modest. Gorgeous? Nah, that doesn't sound right. Ugh! What I'm trying to say is…"

He trailed off once again. May just continued to look at him, as though wondering when he was going to go on. Finally, he sighed and shook his head. "I guess I just don't have any words to describe it," he admitted. "You look absolutely beautiful, May."

May blushed heavily, her hands folded in front of her. "Thank you, Ash."

"So, what do you think?" Serena asked, coming up to them. "Doesn't she look wonderful?"

"That's putting it modestly," Ash replied. "There are no words to describe her right now."

"Really?"

"Really really."

May smiled at him. "Then you can thank Serena."

Ash blinked in confusion. "Huh?"

"She helped me style it," his girlfriend explained. "I know it's not the same as my usual style, but I'm glad you like it."

"Serena," Ash breathed. "You did this?"

"I knew it had been a while since you and May had seen each other," she nodded, "and she wanted to make up for lost time. So I came up with this new style for her. I was worried you wouldn't like it because it's so...different." She giggled. "I guess I was worrying about nothing."

"You sure were," Ash laughed with her.

"Plus, I guess it makes up in some small way for how I betrayed you guys," she admitted, putting her hands behind her back and looking down. Ash and May stopped smiling at that and looked at her with compassion.

"Serena," Ash said, "you don't have to do anything to make up for that. I already forgave you."

"So did I," May agreed.

"I know," she nodded, "but I still wanted to do something to make up for it. Plus, things are going to be different between us now."

"Us?" Ash blinked.

" _All_ of us," Serena said. "It's time for me to move on and find someone else."

"Oh," Ash said, his face falling. "Well...good luck."

She smiled warmly at him. "Ash, don't feel bad. You did nothing wrong."

"But if it weren't for my choosing May, you wouldn't have been heartbroken," he said. He turned to May. "Sorry, nothing against you."

"Don't worry," she winked at him. "I'm with you."

"That's true," Serena nodded, her smile still sincere. "But that's not important. What's important is that you followed your heart, and she followed hers. And the truth is, May, even though I envied you for so long, I always knew deep down that you were better for Ash than I was. He's happier when he's with you, and you two...well, you make the perfect pair."

May smiled at her again. "Thanks, Serena."

Serena nodded, then looked at a watch. "Well, I should probably get going," she said. "I'm meeting Clemont in Vermilion City."

"Vermilion City?" Ash said.

"Yeah. We're heading back to Kalos from there. After that, who knows what'll happen?"

"That's great, Serena," Ash smiled, extending his hand out to her. "I wish you the best of luck wherever you go."

"Thanks, Ash," she replied, shaking his hand. Then she turned to May. "Take good care of him for me, okay?"

"Oh, don't worry," May grinned mischievously. "We're going to have lots of fun together!"

"I don't like the look on her face," Ash whispered nervously to Pikachu as the two girls giggled. Pikachu looked just as nervous as he did.

"Goodbye, Ash," Serena said. "Have fun on vacation, okay?"

"Thanks, we will," Ash replied. With that, Serena walked away. "Say hi to Clemont and Bonnie for me!" he called after her.

"I will!" she called back. "Thanks for everything!"

He smiled as he watched her follow Route 1 until she disappeared out of sight. Then he sighed wistfully. "Take care of yourself, Serena."

" _Pikachu_ ," Pikachu nodded.

Ash felt an arm wrap around his waist. He turned and saw May leaning against him. With a smile, he put his arm around her shoulder and let her do just that. "She'll be okay," she smiled.

"I know," Ash nodded, kissing her her cheek.

"Ash! May!"

They let each other go and turned to see Delia waving at them to follow her. "Hey, Mom!" Ash replied. "Ready to go?"

"Yes we are!" she said. "Come on! We don't wanna be late!"

Ash and May grinned at each other, then started running after her, laughing in excitement. Before long, they were boarding a private boat owned by a very tan man with long white hair. Ash recognized his face, and surprise followed.

"Professor Oak?" he said.

"Yes?" the man replied in a different voice than Ash was used to.

"Whoa!?" he exclaimed. "Wait...you're not Professor Oak!"

"Hm?" the man blinked. Then he turned to Delia. "You didn't tell him?"

"Oh!" Delia said, slightly embarrassed. "Ash, this is Samson Oak. He's Professor Oak's cousin. He lives in the region where we're going on vacation and does research out there."

"Oh, okay!" Ash grinned, extending his hand to the other Professor Oak. "Nice to meet you, Professor Oak Number 2! My name's Ash! Delia's my mother." He turned to May. "And this is my girlfriend, May."

"Hi!" May grinned, shaking his hand. "Nice to meet you, Professor!"

"It's a pleasure to meet you both," the professor replied. "I've heard many things about you from Sam. You know, son, he takes a lot of pride in you."

"I've heard," Ash shrugged. "But it's nothing, really."

"Oh, Ash!" May glared at him playfully, punching his arm. "Don't be so modest! You earned the professor's respect, and you know it!"

"Yeah, yeah, I know," he sweatdropped, putting a hand behind his head. "I just don't like parading around telling people that. It sounds conceited, you know?"

"Well, I did hear you were quite conceited when you first started your journey," Samson said. "But you've grown so much since then, in age and wisdom. I've really looked forward to meeting you."

"Thanks, sir," Ash smiled at him.

"Hm," May grinned mischievously. "Well, he has grown in wisdom, that's for sure. But age? I don't know...he doesn't look a day past ten to me."

"May!" Ash hissed into her ear. "We don't talk about that!"

"I know," she giggled. "I couldn't help it."

"All right, you lovebirds," Delia chuckled. "Let's get ready to go. It's going to take some time to get to where we're going."

"That's okay," Ash grinned. "I can't wait!"

"Very well, then," Samson grinned as he started the boat's engine. "Sit tight, everyone! Next stop: the Alola region!"

"All right!" Delia and May cheered. "Alola, here we come!"

" _Pi-Pikachu_!" Pikachu also cheered. Ash cheered, too, but his mind immediately began swimming with questions when he heard the name of their destination.

 _Alola?_ he thought. _Could it be…?_

* * *

It was very late at night now. They'd been travelling all day, since the Alola region was far away from Kanto. Ash leaned against the boat's railing, staring up at the starry sky. Pikachu sat perched on his shoulder, also staring up.

"How's it going?" May asked, walking up behind him.

"Well, I'm a little sunburnt, and I've got itches all over from those darn Remoraid that attacked us earlier," he mumbled, then brightened up. "But other than that, I'm great!"

May giggled and leaned against the railing with him. "I don't know how you do it, Ash," she said. "You're always so positive and optimistic, even when things don't go your way."

"Well, what's not to be positive about?" he asked. "I've got my best friend on my shoulder and my girlfriend by my side."

 _This is my escape:  
_ _I'm running through this world,  
_ _And I'm not looking back._

May blushed at that. "But seriously," she said, looking at him with a serious look. "How do you do it? You're still chasing your dream after all these years, and yet you don't seem any less positive than the day I first met you."

His expression didn't change as he answered. "Losing in the Pokemon League is never a fun experience. Sometimes I have to force myself to stay positive. I have to remind myself that my losses aren't what define me, and that my real victories happen off the battlefield."

"Huh?"

"But one day, I know I'll reach my goal," he grinned, looking to the sky in anticipation. "One day, I will become a Pokemon Master!"

" _Pi-Pikachu_!" Pikachu agreed, sharing his trainer's excitement.

 _Cause I know I can go  
_ _Where no one's ever gone,  
_ _And I'm not looking back._

May slowly moved over and shyly cuddled up to him. "You're already a Pokemon Master to me."

He smiled and put his arm around her. "Thanks, May."

"No, really," she said, looking into his eyes. "I don't know why you don't see yourself as a master."

"What?" he blinked, confused. "Wait...you mean you really think I'm a Pokemon Master?"

 _But how will I know when I get there?  
_ _And how will I know when to leave?_

"Of course!" she smiled.

"But what makes you think that?" he asked. "I haven't been able to win in the Pokemon League, so why –"

"I don't think a Pokemon League victory makes you a Pokemon Master."

Ash caught his breath when he heard that. "What?! What do you mean?"

"A Pokemon Master is supposed to be an exceptional trainer who earns and deserves the world's respect, right?"

"Well, uh," Ash started to say, but he trailed off as he came to a stunning realization. "Wow...now that I think of it…

 _We've all gotta start from somewhere,  
_ _And it's right there for me:  
_ _The possibilities are never ending!_

"I've never really thought about what it means to be a Pokemon Master," he said softly. "When I was ten, I just thought you had to win in the League to be a master. I guess I never really gave it any more thought."

 _I see it,  
_ _I see it,  
_ _And now it's all within my reach!  
_ _Endless Possibility!_

May smiled and snuggled her head into his shoulder. "You really haven't changed, have you?" she said softly. Her breath sent goosebumps down his spine. "You're still the same stubborn, impulsive boy I met in Littleroot Town that day."

Ash chuckled and blushed slightly. "I guess you're right...to an extent. To be fair, I'm not as dumb as I used to be."

"Oh, I know," she smiled, looking back at him. "But deep down, you're still the same boy who took the whole world by storm. You're still the same boy who cares for every living thing. You're still the same boy with a grand dream that you will always pursue." She leaned against his shoulder again. "And you're still the same boy that I fell in love with so long ago."

Ash smiled softly as he gently pulled her off his shoulder and gazed into her eyes. "And you're still the same girl I fell in love with," he replied. With that, they closed their eyes and brought their lips together, sharing a kiss under the stars. Although they didn't go too deep, they did go deeper than they ever had before, opening their mouths slightly. Their tongues stayed in place, though. Regardless, when they broke apart, they were literally left breathless.

"That was...wonderful," May whispered.

"Well, that's just our kiss," Ash winked at her. "If it wasn't wonderful, there'd be something wrong."

 _I see it,  
_ _I see it now:  
_ _It's always been inside of me!  
_ _And now I feel so free!  
_ _Endless Possibility!_

May yawned and put a hand over her mouth. "I think I'll go to bed," she said. "What about you?"

"I think I'll stay up a little longer," he replied.

"Okay," she said, softly kissing his lips. "Good night, Ash."

"Good night, May," he whispered. She smiled dreamily at him and slowly walked into the cabin on the boat. Ash, meanwhile, continued leaning against the boat's railing as memories flooded his mind.

He thought of his first days as a Pokemon trainer. It felt like an entire lifetime since that day: the day he met his best friend and began the journey of a lifetime. He remembered how small-minded he was back then, brashly thinking he could become a Pokemon Master all by himself. That idea, of course, came crashing down in his defeat at the Indigo Conference. He remembered how he was ready to give up and go home until he got a wake-up jolt from his friends. From then on, he remembered, he vowed never to let the defeats he suffered defeat him. He would journey all over the world, never stopping until he became a Pokemon Master.

 _And so I'll carry on.  
_ _My time to shine has come:  
_ _I feel it!_

 _I'll get there someday_ he thought with a smile. _Then again, was May right? Have I already become a Pokemon Master?_ He thought about this a moment, then smiled softly to himself _Maybe she's right. Maybe I am a Pokemon Master even if I haven't been able to win in the League._ He pumped his fist excitedly. _But I still wanna take home a trophy one day._

 _As fast as I can go,  
_ _Straight to the top I know  
_ _You'll see it!_

He looked to the stars as he began daydreaming – or, rather, _night_ -dreaming – about that day: the day he came out on top in the Pokemon League, the day he proudly held the gold trophy above his head, the day he could thank his friends, his family, and of course his Pokemon, without whom he could never have gotten this far.

 _So please wake me up when I get there.  
_ _It feels like I'm lost in a dream._

He put a hand over his heart. It was beating rapidly with excitement. He chuckled to himself. _If I'm not careful, I'll give myself a heart attack from sheer excitement!_

 _I know in my heart that it's my time,  
_ _And I already see  
_ _The possibilities are never ending!_

 _I see it,  
_ _I see it,  
_ _And now it's all within my reach!  
_ _Endless Possibility!_

 _I see it,  
_ _I see it now:  
_ _It's always been inside of me!  
_ _And now I feel so free!  
_ _Endless Possibility!_

Although his memories were mostly happy ones, Ash still couldn't help but remember some of the darker times in his journey. He thought of his Charizard and how disobedient it was when it first evolved. He thought of how its refusal to obey him cost him in the Indigo Conference. Regardless, he managed to bounce back from that loss and later gained Charizard's respect once again.

Then he thought of that one time he got brutally beaten by Paul, his rival in Sinnoh. He thought of how his Pokemon were badly injured after that, and for the first time in his journey, he seriously began to doubt his capabilities as a trainer.

 _Drop that smile 'cause you're beaten again!  
_ _No, this is where my journey begins!_

Thankfully, his friends were able to snap him out of his funk, and he would go on to not only defeat Paul in the League Conference, but he did what no one else could: he defeated a Darkrai that no one else could beat. Even though he didn't come out on top in that conference, he didn't care. Knowing that he and his Pokemon were able to defeat a Pokemon that no one else could even scratch made him so proud of them all. Defeat meant nothing to him at that conference.

His memory then drifted to his more recent adventures in Kalos and beyond. He thought of his Greninja, and the special bond they shared. _It's kinda funny_ he thought. _Until then, I was pretty confident in myself. Not overconfident, just confident in my abilities as a trainer. Then this new form appears, and I have to learn something new all over again._ He shivered slightly as he thought of how the transformation affected him.

 _You're losing speed! You're losing your flow!  
_ _But inside me's a power you'll never know!_

It took time and even more self-doubt than ever before, but he and Greninja were able to master the transformation. He still tried to use it only when absolutely necessary, but the adrenaline rush it gave him, if he was honest, was pretty addictive. It made him feel stronger, faster, and more than ready to take on any challenge.

 _Then let it out, it's inside you!  
_ _Better all stand back  
_ _'Cause I'm coming THROUGH!_

 _Maybe I should try that sometime_ he chuckled to himself. _We've never really tested the capabilities of humans who wield the transformation, have we? Well, it can't be too much different, can it?_

He sighed softly and shook his head. Then he saw the sky start to brighten in front of him. As it did so, he made out several land masses, appearing as silhouettes.

 _I see it,  
_ _I see it,  
_ _And now it's all within my reach!_

His eyes widened. "Is that it?" he said quietly, bouncing in place as excitement took hold.

" _Pi_?" Pikachu blinked, yawning as it woke up.

 _I see it,  
_ _I see it now;  
_ _It's always been inside of me!_

"I think that's it!" he exclaimed. "That's the Alola region!"

" _Pikachu_!" Pikachu also exclaimed, sharing his trainer's excitement.

Ash looked at Pikachu with a bright smile. "You ready for a new adventure, Pikachu?"

" _Pikachu_!"

 _I see it,  
_ _I see it,  
_ _And now it's all within my reach!  
_ _Endless Possibility!_

"Wow," Ash said more to himself than anyone. "Was I really taking a trip down memory lane all night? Heh. I guess I got lost in my thoughts."

" _Pikachu_ ," Pikachu smiled at him.

 _I see it,  
_ _I see it now;  
_ _It's always been inside of me!  
_ _And now I feel so free!  
_ _Endless Possibility!_

His smile grew as the Alola region slowly came closer and closer. He looked to the slowly brightening sky and thought of one more thing.

"I know you're still out there," he said softly, "I don't know where you are or how to get there, but I promise you, your sacrifice will not be in vain. I'll keep living like I always do: making the most of every day and pursuing my dream to the end, always working to make the world a better place.

 _Endless Possibility!_

"Thank you for everything. And I promise you: one day, we will meet again. Until then...Sayonara, _Sonic the Hedgehog_."

 _Endless Possibility!_

" _Pi_?" Pikachu looked at him eagerly.

"Don't worry, Pikachu," he grinned. "We'll be there soon. And when we get there, we'll be the very best, like no one ever was. That's what we've always done, what we're doing right now, what we're always going to do. That's the way it will always be, because that's the way it's always been:"

 _From our first day  
_ _With Red and Blue  
_ _All the way  
_ _To Sun and Moon_

* * *

 **And there you have it, folks: at long last, Sonic-Pokemon Global Adventure: The Dark Crisis is finished. I've got a lot to say here since I didn't do any talking throughout the story, so here goes.**

 **First of all, I apologize for not updating throughout the story. The reason I didn't do that was because at the beginning, I had a very different idea of how this story would be. It involved heavy narration that would really flesh out the Sonic-Pokemon world I've created, so I didn't want to stuff too much content into these chapters. However, as the story went on, I decided to scrap that idea and just wrote as usual. That led to an odd combination of a long, long story and zero updates. I get the feeling that you guys got a little fatigued by that, which would explain how reviews stopped coming in about halfway through. Again, sorry about that.**

 **As for my original idea for the plot, it was completely different from what you just finished reading. The first two chapters are the only thing in this story that were planned from the start. And if you look carefully at the writing, you can see a foreshadowing of things that would've been yet to come if I stuck with my original idea. Thankfully, even though they pretty much have a red marking on them saying "foreshadowing," they're still very subtle hints. So that wasn't too much of a problem.**

 **Actually, two video games that came out this year had a great influence over the direction this story. The first, and most obvious, is Pokken Tournament. I started to get the idea of having Shadow Mewtwo be the main antagonist when he was revealed, so I started incorporating him into the story. I don't remember if I had any reservations about that, but if I did, then they completely evaporated when I looked into the lore of Pokken and read about Gaia energy. For those of you who aren't familiar with Sonic Unleashed (which is what this story is mostly, loosely based off of), the main antagonist is a monstrous being known as Dark Gaia. In order to beat him, you need the help of Light Gaia, who you find by heading to the Gaia temples all around the world. That's why "Gaia energy" in Pokken's lore cemented Ferrum's place in this story.**

 **Speaking of travelling the world, the global scale of Sonic Unleashed was what originally attracted me to the idea of using that game for my #Pokemon20 story. I was originally planning to use Sonic Generations, being an anniversary game and all, but I decided to go with Sonic Unleashed instead when I realized what I could do with it: I could have the heroes travel to all the regions of the world to reclaim the Chaos Emeralds. Perfect, right? Well, it would be...assuming I executed the idea correctly. Did I? I'm really not sure.**

 **The other game that had a strong influence over the plot was Fire Emblem: Fates. If you're familiar with the games or even just their fanbase, then a close look at some of the chapters (particularly the early ones) will reveal some nods to that game. However, the biggest influence over the plot was the decision to include a traitor in the group: A traitor working quietly behind the scenes to do their master's bidding, leaving evidence of their betrayal behind. Even the way the traitor accidentally outs themselves uses the same general concept that Fire Emblem did: talking about information that they shouldn't have known unless they were the traitor. And that brings me to my next point...**

 **Serena. (Oh boy, here we go) I imagine this story turned off the Amourshippers by the dozen. Now, I'd like to point something out: I don't hate Amourshipping, and I don't hate Serena. In general, I have nothing against other shippings that I don't actively support. After all, it's all about the fandom, and none of it (excluding Serena's crush) is canon. A reviewer pointed out that they didn't like how Serena was portrayed in this story, but they were okay with that, since they knew I was an Advanceshipper, and they thought it would be a good idea if Serena turned out to be subtly manipulated by the darkness. I thought that was hilarious, because I had decided from the beginning to make Serena a traitor. And the reason for her betrayal? She was emotionally hurt when Ash chose May, and even a little jealous (and why wouldn't she be?). Mewtwo, seeing the opportunity, twists her pain and jealousy into anger and hatred until she's nothing but a shell of who she used to be. This was also directly influenced by Fire Emblem: Fates. So my making Serena evil wasn't supposed to be a "take that" to Amourshippers. It was just using a piece of the Pokemon anime canon as a plot device. Besides, I think the Amourshippers are getting a big enough "take that" with the simple fact that Serena's not joining Ash in Alola! Sorry, guys.**

 **(Then again, I don't blame her. If I found out my crush was going to a foreign school to get plastic surgery and then get dumbed down, I'd stay home, too)**

 **Okay, just a little more, then I'll be done. I primarily wanted this fic to be a compelling story, which is always my first goal. After that, however, I wanted to load it up with a ton of fan service for longtime Pokemon fans and, to a lesser extent, Sonic fans. Visiting every region, having all of Ash's friends come together, Mewtwo being the main villain (in a sense), the continuous nods to the upcoming Sun and Moon, and having Ash's strongest Pokemon in the final battle was all meant to be a shout-out to the past, present, and future of Pokemon. On the other side of the franchise spectrum, I don't think I did a very good job of pandering to Sonic's fanbase. It's kind of a pity, since this story was originally his. I did do one thing, however...**

 **I really don't know how people took my inclusion of "Nazo" Sonic in the final battle. I got a couple of reviews suggesting I do a Sonic-Pokemon crossover of "Nazo Unleashed" (whatever that is), but I already planned to include "Nazo" in the grand finale. Besides, the truth is, "Nazo" is really just a beta version of Super Sonic from the anime. Regardless, I knew he was popular with the fanbase, so I decided to include him in the climax. And who knows? He may have a role in future stories.**

 **Speaking of which, this isn't the end of the Sonic-Pokemon crossover canon. I love writing this series too much to abandon it. But with Sonic trapped in another dimension, I have little choice but to halt the continuation of this series for now. I'll be focusing on other things in the meantime, but don't worry: Sonic will return. That being said, rather than starting a new story continuing the adventure, I'll be focusing more on fleshing out this world I've created in the coming year. You can expect my older stories - "Sonic Adventure," "Sonic Adventure 2," and "Shadow the Hedgehog" - to get revised and, in some cases, rewritten (but don't worry: the main plots will stay the same). In addition, I have some other ideas on my plate. Some of them I'm toying with, while others I'm planning to begin in the coming months.**

 **On a side note, May's design in this epilogue was created by haruharukaspring on Deviantart. Special thanks to them for letting me use it.**

 **So, what do I think of this story? Well, like my other Sonic-Pokemon stories, this one is in need of _heavy_ revision. No other story I've written suffers as much from sagging-middle syndrome. However, before I revise this one, I want to revise the other ones.**

 **And that's it! What did you think of this story? Feel free to rate and review, but no flames please!** **Thanks for reading, and, as Pokemon has said to us all year, _train on_.**

 **Catch ya later, everyone.**


End file.
